Fresh from a 162 percent rise in sales last year, Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP), the exclusive distributor of Geely vehicles in the Philippines will once again push full steam ahead hoping to reach a 4 percent market share by end 2022.
“Last year was all about market expansion,” says SGAP President Yosuke Nishi. “We managed to exponentially expand our dealer network and at the same time improve our customer service and aftersales support.”
And despite not being able to launch any all-new product offering in 2021, Geely still managed to reach 6,272 units sold enough for a solid Top 10 place in terms of best-selling car brands in the Philippines.
This year though, with the re-opening of the economy and the loosening of COVID-19-related restrictions, SGAP is turning their attention once more to launching a brand-new vehicle offering every six months.
With the Emgrand sub-compact sedan, SGAP projects to boost its sales by around 3,000 units. If all other factors remain consistent, it may mean breaching the 9,000-unit mark in annual sales. By next year, they project the Emgrand to be their best-selling model.
It must be remembered that Geely Philippines did set a goal of becoming a Top 5 auto brand within the next three to five years.
And this was just in 2021
.
In order to seal the deal with potential customers, SGAP is pricing the Emgrand competitively with the Emgrand Comfort priced at P 798,000 and the Emgrand Premium priced at P 908,000. In addition, they are also looking to tap the for-hire and TNVS segments by launching a base model Emgrand, the Emgrand S, at a later time.
Moreover, they are offering a one-year free Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) and a P 50,000 discount to all Emgrand buyers until May 31, 2022. The P 50,000 voucher can even be applied to the downpayment for financing customers.
And speaking of financing customers, SGAP is currently happy with how the brand is performing when it comes to financing. Typically, a hindrance of being a Chinese brand, Froilan Dytianquin, SGAP General Manager for Sales and Marketing says they’re currently happy with their relationship with banks and lending institutions.
“We enjoy a healthy relationship with our banking partners,” says Dytinquin. “Having seen what SGAP can achieve in such a short time, we can now offer in-house financing packages which are at par to what buyers get with Japanese and Korean brands.”
However, he was quick to mention that SGAP doesn’t want to wage a financing war with brands going for the ultra-low down payment route. Not only will this increase the risk of repossessions, it may also tarnish the reputation of the fledging brand. He believes that offering a 20 percent down payment is acceptable enough, and couple that with the P 50,000 discount, it represents unbeatable value to would-be Emgrand owners.
Keyword: Geely PH Aims For 4 Percent Market Share By End 2022