Monday, July 23, 2007 Toyota pours P130 million for GenSan showroom
TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. is investing around P130 million for a display and service outlet in General Santos City with construction works now about 80 percent complete, officials said.
Felix Montante, Toyota after-sales manager, said they target to inaugurate the facility located along the national highway late this September.
"Our initial investment is P50 million for the construction of the building but this would climb to at least a hundred million [when full blast operation starts]," he said in an interview.
Construction works started in March for Toyota's display outlet in this city, the only branch of the firm in Central Mindanao region.
Montante stressed they decided to put up a display center here as the region "is among the fast-selling buyers of Toyota cars in the country."
He said the monthly average of Toyota cars bought by people from Central Mindanao plays between 20 to 30 vehicles.
The region covers the provinces of South and North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of Koronadal, General Santos, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
With the display center in this city dubbed the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines," prospective buyers of Toyota cars in Central Mindanao region would no longer have to go to as far as Davao City, Montante said.
Workers are now putting on the roofing and interior designs to meet the target inauguration date where top Toyota Motors officials and local government leaders are expected to attend.
The new Toyota display center can accommodate six model vehicles but an adjacent property eyed for development could accommodate five to six more cars, Montante said.
At present, Toyota Motor is leasing a space here were prospective buyers transact business.
Montante said they have bought the property where the new display center would rise in 1996 but it was only recently that top management decided to develop it.
Last week, he made a courtesy call to Mayor Pedro Acharon, Jr., who lauded the company for its confidence in the investment climate of the locality.
Acharon claimed that Toyota Motor's venture "is an affirmation of the continuous upsurge of investments in the city."
Toyota Motor has a manufacturing plant, through Toyota Autoparts Philippines, Inc., at a special economic zone in Laguna province, which is outside Manila.
Early this year, company officials announced fresh investments of P5.6 billion to expand the production line for export of manual transmission units.
