If you have been looking into the local automotive industry this year, you can see that China branded cars are roaming the streets nowadays.





Just last month, Foton distributor United Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI) relaunched the Chery brand with four new SUVs, and didn’t scrimp out on features and creature comforts. Even the leather they use for the seats on high end models are the same as those from the renowned British marques it owns – Jaguar and Land Rover – a far cry from the cars that they offered a decade ago.

Before they relaunched the brand there was the QQ, back in 2008. The QQ was a copy of the Daewoo Matiz, but its shoddy build quality and harsh ride didn’t sit well in the Philippine market, even with its deceivingly low P380,000 price tag. Other Chinese carmakers have attempted to sell their cars here since the last decade, the market was not ready to sell, as Chinese cars back then lacked the features that a regular Filipino car owner would need.

Geely (pronounced jee-lee) was relaunched in the country last November with the Coolray crossover SUV, and was lauded by the motoring press during the media drive weeks ago, sporting a modern, in-your-face look and is equipped with hi-tech stuff to boot. Geely Holdings acquired Volvo of Sweden from Ford in 2010, which explains its European design and feel. This Chinese powerhouse now holds the Nurburgring record for the fastest production car, as it has developed a car built and engineered by Polestar, the tuning arm of Volvo.

Maxus (under SAIC motor), a Chinese brand with European origins, has also launched this year under AC Motors, Ayala Corporation’s automotive arm, and brought in the G10 nine-seater MPV with Assist Package, equipped with a power swivel lifting seat at the second row that would help ingress and egress of PWDs, a feature unheard of in the market. The entry of Maxus in the domestic market is another feather on the cap of the Ayala conglomerate which also includes, Honda Cars PH, Isuzu PH, Volkswagen PH, Kia PH and KTM Motorcycles.

As if the Chinese didn’t get enough spotlight either. Last November 2018, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray rode in a P2.3 million GAC GS8 luxury SUV on the way to her courtesy call with President Rodrigo Duterte from the Villamor Air Base, along with Ilocos Governor Chavit Singson. Singson also owns Legado Motors, who distributes GAC vehicles in the country. GAC’s fleet consists of two sedans, two SUV’s, a van and a recently launched crossover SUV.

Those are just few examples, but it seems that Chinese passenger cars have reemerged from the shadows once again, lining the streets and parked proudly in their showrooms, waiting on an owner. In a country where motorists are brand-conscious when it comes to cars, will the market fare better this time for them?

China’s dominance in the global auto industry

In 2011, China accounted for one-quarter of the global production capacity, more than Japan and Europe combined. In 2018, it accounted for almost 30% of the global production capacity. Around 28.1 million units have been produced from China alone. Much of the development that have 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, as such with Chery and Geely. 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 and the Lamando. Even they came from the Chinese factory in Anting, China, their cars 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 ASEAN, the tariffs are slowly decreasing each year, and that would mean Chinese cars are priced as much as most of its competitors in the ASEAN region. In the early 2010s, most of the car sales did not attribute to the passenger cars, it went to commercial vehicles – heavy duty trucks and such. Foton is one such player, as it has been in the country for a long while. When it comes to passenger cars. Filipinos are conscious on what brand and what car are they driving, but in the commercial vehicle segment, it’s an another story, and that’s what UAAGI wanted to explore at the time. It has garnered much market success thanks to its value-oriented lineup, good after sales and reliability that it has competed with the big names in the commercial vehicle segment, and that has allowed other companies such as BAIC and Changan to join in.

China saw a great deal of potential in the Philippine market despite the setbacks in the passenger vehicle segment in its previous years. A great deal of innovation and improvement has been put into their cars over the years, from the comfortable leather seats to the hi-tech convenience that come standard with it. We can see those improvements in the cars offered on sale today, right in this moment, in their showrooms.

There’s no denying that China is a giant in any form of industry, not just the automobile industry, and their force is nigh unstoppable. Pretty soon, we’ll be seeing a lot of them on the streets, to the point of considering them as our primary choices when choosing a car.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ALAIN LOUISE GERONIMO