ISUZU Gencars Makati has emerged as the second top-selling dealership in the country and is aiming to maintain the position by promoting the Isuzu mu-X, the sports utility bid of Isuzu which is poised to overtake the best-selling nameplates of the Japanese car firm: the Crosswind and the all-new D-Max.
Beth B. Dimacuha, Vice President for Sales and Marketing of Isuzu Gencars Makati, said sales-volume data showed their dealership has notched the second spot in highest car sales, year-to-date, among all other dealerships.
According to the car firm’s website, Isuzu Philippines Corp. has a network of 21 dealerships, 4 of which are operated by Isuzu Gencars Inc. Isuzu Gencars Inc. is part of the ALC Group of Companies, where the BusinessMirror belongs, and is led by Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua. The managing director for Isuzu Gencars Inc. is D. Edgard A. Cabangon.
Dimacuha declined to disclose actual sales as this is confidential information but assured that the branch aims to hold on to the spot, and will surpass the monthly minimum combined sales target of 100 units for models offered in its showroom. Isuzu Gencars Makati currently offers the Crosswind, the All-New D-Max and its variants, customized trucks, and the Isuzu mu-X. The mu-X’s mini launch in the Gencars Makati branch was held last Friday afternoon.
Dimacuha said that given the mu-X’s fuel efficiency and price competitiveness, she’s confident that the market served by the branch will be receptive to the model, notwithstanding the stiff competition of various car brands in the Makati area.
Dimacuha said the mu-X has already received pre-orders, but the best-selling units are still the Crosswind and the D-Max. On a national scale, however, it seems the potential for the sports utility vehicle offering of Isuzu is much more promising. Arthur D. Balmadrid, Senior Vice President for Sales at IPC, hinted that the Isuzu-MuX may surpass the Crosswind and the all-new D-Max.
“With the new product, the Mu-X, we might have a bigger volume of it. It may even be bigger than the rest of the product line-up,” he said.
Balmadrid also said customer inquiry was especially strong for the mu-X and they are targeting to sell, for the rest of the year, a unit volume of 2,000 units, or an average of 500 units per month.
“We want to sell around 500-700 units per month. Baka next year, puwedeng more than 700 units [of the mu-X]. The model is number one in Thailand in the SUV segment, and maganda ang pag-receive sa India at Australia.
We hope it could be the same here in the Philippines,” Balmadrid said. Given the positive outlook for the model, IPC is expecting to have a larger slice of the SUV segment, eyeing a 12-15 percent market share.
The Isuzu Alterra, Balmadrid said, only fared moderately in the segment, only capturing around 5 percent of the market for SUVs. For 2015, Balmadrid said that an 18,000-sales unit volume is possible or a minimum growth rate of 20 percent from the target of 14,500 to 15,000 this year, considering the sustained strength of sales of the D-Max and expected reception of the mu-X.