Chinese automaker targets 1,000 monthly sales in PHL

CHINESE AUTOMAKER Omoda and Jaecoo Motor Philippines, Inc. aims to achieve 1,000 monthly sales and expand its dealership network in the Philippines following its official launch on Tuesday.

“We have the intention to [increase] our dealer network. Currently, we have six, and we are going to have 24 within this year,” Omoda and Jaecoo Global Chief Executive Officer Shawn Xu said.

“With these numbers, definitely within [the first] half of the year, we will reach 500 monthly sales, and then later on, it can be 1,000 units,” he added.

When asked about the company’s optimism in launching in the Philippines, Mr. Xu said the country is one of the largest in Asia.

“The Philippines is a big country among Asian countries. So this is the reason why we established a subsidiary company here. We think that we have big potential,” he said.

“And also, we have good confidence here because other markets have already proved that we get good performance, like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Switzerland, so definitely the Philippines will be no exception. So definitely, we have good confidence here,” he added.

On Tuesday, Omoda and Jaecoo announced their official launch in the country with the unveiling of three models: the Omoda C5, Omoda E5, and Jaecoo EJ6.

The Omoda C5 will be priced between P898,000 and P1.18 million, while the Omoda E5 will be sold at P1.5 million.

However, customers who place a deposit for the Omoda C5 and Omoda E5 until June 30 will receive P110,000 and P220,000 discounts, respectively.

“With the warm reception that the Omoda C5 and Omoda E5 received even before our official launch, we were inspired to roll out a promo for our Filipino buyers. This way, more Filipinos can experience premium automotive innovation firsthand,” Mr. Xu said.

Meanwhile, the Jaecoo EJ6, an electric sport utility vehicle, will have a starting price of P1.65 million to P1.8 million.

According to Mr. Xu, Omoda and Jaecoo sold nearly 250,000 units globally last year, driven by new products and market expansions.

“So this year, our target will be for our sales to reach half a million units,” he added.

As of the end of last year, Omoda and Jaecoo were present in 34 markets. This is set to expand to 55 by the end of this year. — Justine Irish D. Tabile