The Manila Times

Fine and Finer China

The Chinese car invasion continues HEN the Chinese first arrived on Philippine shores centuries ago, they brought along fine porcelain as well as silk as luxury goods for trading products with the locals.

BY ALAIN GERONIMO

Fast forward to this day and age, and we see the Chinese are bringing into the Philippines finer cars.

Recent weeks have seen more Chinese car manufacturers coming into the country, each with their own selling propositions. Jetour is one of them, and they’re offering vehicles that are offering a price that is a fraction of the mainstream brands — including an electric vehicle (EV) that costs P700,000. Probably the looker among the lineup is the Dashing crossover, with outlandish looks that complement its premium interior quality, and costs only P1.329 million. With its parent company, Chery, backing the brand with technical know-how, along with its 6-year unlimited mileage warranty, the new player in town has the confidence to make its mark in not only in the automotive industry in general, but also among other Chinese brands as well.

Another Chinese brand, Great Wall, marked its return to the market with a selection of hybrid crossovers and a pickup truck, and was launched on the same day as Jetour’s entry. Although touted as more of a preview during the test drive event held in Batangas Racing Circuit, the inclusion of hybrid models in the lineup offers motorists more affordable choices for greener motoring.

Then There’s also Hongqi, China’s state-owned luxury carmaker, set to make its mark in the ultra-luxury car segment with elegant Euro-inspired design, abundance of creature comforts as well as meticulously crafted trim. While European counterparts sell for around 8- digit prices, the flagship E-HS9 electric SUV sells for almost P5 million.

No more shoddy cars

The previous years saw the rise of Chinese brands such as GAC, Chery, Geely, MG, Maxus, among others, with each of them scoring market success, thanks to competitive prices and good after-sales services. Gone were the days of Chinese cars having shoddy build quality — yes, I’m talking about the Chery QQ from a long time ago — and soon came cars with premium quality interiors, futuristic powertrains, high tech safety features, and svelte looking exterior design that we’ve been looking for from the Korean and the Japanese, with better value-for-money to boot.

So, is China now an automotive giant? In 2011, China accounted for onequarter of the global vehicle production

capacity, more than Japan and Europe combined. In 2018, it accounted for almost 30 percent of global production capacity. Around 28.1 million units have been produced from China alone. Much of the development that has gone to these cars are state funded, and have also relied on the major aftermarket players when it comes to parts and development, such as Bosch.

For some Chinese carmakers, the only way to improve their products is to forge a partnership or buy a European marque, like what Chery and Geely did. Geely owns Volvo and Lotus, and it, along with Chery, went on to become two of the biggest names in the Chinese auto industry.

Joint ventures with European brands exist as well, such as SAIC’s case with Volkswagen, with models such as the Santana, T-Cross and Lamando. Even if they came from the Chinese factory in Anting, China, the vehicles are still very German through and through — from the plush seats to the exterior and interior design, as well as

the ride quality. SAIC also owns MG and Maxus, and their cars are now seen in the streets of Manila.

Thanks to a trade agreement between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — the tariffs on vehicles and parts are slowly decreasing each year, and that would put Chinese cars at a price advantage.

Also, from the early 2010s, commercial vehicles, including heavy-duty trucks, made brands like Foton a major player. The brand’s local distributor entered the Philippine commercial vehicle market with its value-oriented trucks, and offered good after-sales and warranty, enabling Foton to become a big name in the local commercial vehicle market.

So, is it possible for Chinese brands to have the same reputation as the Japanese or Korean? Only time will tell. But what is very clear is they have made great strides in the past few years, and there seems to be no stopping the Chinese car invasion.

Fast Times

en-ph

2023-03-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/282432763408904

The Manila Times