Bossing awardee credits service, innovation for dealerships’ boom

PHILIPPINE distributor and multi-brand car dealer Willy Tee Ten plans to bring to Cebu next year the Mini Cooper and Piaggio dealership, which he said will change the automotive landscape of the metropolis.

In a recent press briefing, Tee Ten announced he will bring to Cebu early next year the Mini Cooper, an iconic British car brand, with its showroom located across J Centre Mall on A.S. Fortuna St. in Mandaue.

Tee Ten is the chief executive officer of Autohub Group of Companies and has been in the automotive business for 13 years.

Currently, he has four Ford dealerships, two for Nissan, one for Mazda, two for Hyundai, one for Mini, one for Piaggio, one for V-Kool window films, and another for Click and the Autohub Car Care Service group.

According to Tee Ten, the Mini Cooper is one of the best performing car brands in the country.

Optimistic about Cebu’s economy, Tee Ten said he will also bring to Cebu the Piaggio Ape, which he said will be the “competitor” for multi-cabs here.

“We will be bringing to Cebu a brand that would change the automotive transportation industry,” he said.

Autoitalia Philippines Enterprises Inc. (APE Inc.), another member of the Autohub Group of Companies, has signed a sole distributorship agreement with Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (PVPL) for the commercial vehicles known in the European and South African countries as the Piaggio Ape.

APE Inc. is looking for two dealers for the Cebu operation.

The firm said it will distribute in the country the passenger-type and cargo-type (closed van, long-bed, flatbed, and pick-up) “all with the smallest diesel engines in the world, Euro 3-compliant and with a record-breaking mileage of 36 kilometers per liter.”

Tee Ten said the Piaggio Ape is a non-polluting vehicle.

Tee Ten is a chemical engineering graduate who first worked as an employee in Proctor and Gamble. He left his job after about three months and ventured into building his own business in the automotive sector.

He said he embarked on various marketing strategies in order to set his business apart from the others, like the 0-percent participation in insurance claims, extended warranty, a 24-hour technician and towing system, and the employment of two technicians per car for faster and better car service.

“Selling cars was not only our main focus. We always come up with new products and services to stay ahead in the competition,” said Tee Ten.

Tee Ten was one of the 2012 MVP Bossing awardees of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. Small and Medium Enterprises Nation.