Monday, March 03, 2008 Auto company wants bigger share of market in Cebu
JAPANESE car manufacturer Mazda hopes to sell at least 200 units in Cebu this year.
Operating under Ford Motor Company, Mazda’s largest shareholder, Mazda Cebu wants to become the largest dealership in the country outside Metro Manila, said Richard C. Baker, president of Ford Group Philippines.
“Cebu is a very good market, especially for our Mazda 3,” he said in an interview with reporters during the Mazda Cebu showroom opening.
Mazda Cebu dealership president Albert Go said the company’s sales volume has increased since the outlet’s soft opening four months ago.
This he attributes to the bullishness in the local market and attractive financing schemes offered by banking institutions.
“Mazda, being one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers, has already been able to establish a name of its own. We could have gotten a bigger market share in this area if we had operated earlier,” said Go.
Economy
He expects the Cebu dealership to sell about 20 to 25 units of different Mazda car models every month.
Baker said the improving economic climate in the Philippines—characterized by low interest rates, rising peso and “positive economic policies”—have allowed the country’s automotive industry to achieve growth.
Last year, Mazda Philippines sold 2,000 vehicles, which accounted for 18 percent of the growth experienced by the country’s automobile industry, he said.
Despite the problems faced by the industry, like smuggling and carnapping, Mazda remains optimistic it will be able to achieve its target of 10-percent continued growth this year, “as players are aggressively pushing to eradicate these problems through meetings with the government sector.”
“For as long as the government is doing its best to fight it, we remain optimistic of the market,” Baker said.
Last month, Mazda Philippines opened its fifth dealership outlet near SM City Cebu at the north reclamation area in Cebu City.
At the showroom, Mazda showcases its top three car models—the Mazda 3, sport utility vehicle Mazda Tribute, MX5 and the flagship Mazda 6.
Mazda 3 features a tiptronic system that allows both automatic and manual transmissions, which make for comfortable driving and better fuel efficiency.
Ford’s plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, manufactures Mazda 3 and Mazda Tribute which are exported to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Established in 1920 in Japan under the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co. Ltd, Mazda Motor Corporation is considered as one of Japan’s major automakers. (MMM)
