Chery Auto PH Celebrates A Year of Many Firsts

November 27, 2019 marked a milestone for United Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI). The progressive automotive distributor that has established itself with a successful line of commercial vehicles, light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks, as well as heavy equipment, under the Foton brand, went mainstream as it rolled out not just new models, but a completely new brand as well.

That November date marked the return of the Chery Auto brand to the Philippines and that market re-entry brought with it not just one, not just two, not even just three new models, but a full four crossover SUV models comprising seven total variants ranging in categories from subcompact to midsize.

“When we were studying the feasibility of bringing in a new car brand to the Philippines and saw the current and the upcoming crossover lineup of Chery in its home and export markets around the world, we knew that the time was ripe for the brand to re-enter the market after the first attempt by a different importer in 2007,” said UAAGI/Chery Auto Philippines President Rommel Sytin.

“The market then wasn’t ready to accept new players outside the established brands, but the last 12 years made a big difference and Filipinos are now much more aware of other new brands and their levels of technology and are more open to experiencing them,” Sytin added.

A world-class brand—in gasoline and electric

The Chery brand sold over 750,000 units worldwide last year, a growth of 11 percent compared to the previous year. Chery has been China’s biggest exporter of passenger cars in the last 16 years and has sold over 7.2 million vehicles in over 80 countries. It is also a leading manufacturer of hybrid and full electric vehicles, not just in China, but in the world. Chery’s world-class manufacturing plant and R&D facility also makes Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, attesting to the brand’s world-class standards.

To underscore its technology, Chery Auto PH introduced to the Philippines last September the full-electric Chery Arrizo 5e sedan, which uses the same technologies found in high-end luxury EVs from the US, Japan, and Germany.

The fun to drive, fully equipped Chery Tiggo lineup

The four Chery models that were introduced in the market upon the brand’s relaunch are the subcompact Tiggo 2 and Tiggo 5X, the compact Tiggo 7, and the midsize 7-seater Tiggo 8. All have 1.5-liter DOHC 16-valve EFI VVT Euro 5-compliant engines, turbocharged for the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8, and have automatic transmissions on all models. Manual transmissions are available on the Tiggo 2 and Tiggo 5X.

These crossovers boast ground clearances as high 210mm and water-wading depths of as much as 600mm, which are even higher than several of its crossover competition.

Feature-packed, value-packed

All Tiggo models are made in Chery’s state-of-the-art fully robotized plants in Wuhu, China and boast contemporary styling and modern comfort, convenience and safety features. The higher end models boast luxury car features like 10″ UHD touchscreen displays, foot-sensing automatic power tailgates, automatic LED headlamps, LED taillamps, cruise control, Smart Keyless Entry System, 6-way power-adjustable seats, LCD instrument panel, panoramic sunroof, leather seats, 18″ alloy wheels, and much more.

For safety, Chery automobiles feature six airbags, front and rear radar-based driving aids, and a full suite of electronic driver-assist systems including Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control, even on the entry-level Tiggo 2. 

Prices range from P695,000 for the Tiggo 2 to P1,280,000 for the Tiggo 8, with low down payment and low monthly promos available as a limited time offer (subject to bank approval).

Customer first: Industry-leading FREE PMS and warranties plus Chery EC Mobile Home Service

To emphasize their confidence in the vehicles, Chery Auto Philippines offers an industry-leading 10-Year/1 Million-km Powertrain Warranty on top of a 5-Year General Vehicle Warranty. And to sweeten the purchase, Chery Auto Philippines is offering a 3-year Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) and 3-Year Roadside Assistance on all Tiggo models for free.

Equally compelling reasons to buy a Chery is the company’s EC Mobile Home Service, which enables a fully trained and health protocol-compliant service crew to perform maintenance and repairs on any Chery model in the comfort and safety of your own home — much appreciated in this time of pandemic. 

Vast (and still growing) dealer network

A mere three months after the contract signing, and in just the first month of 2020, Chery Auto Philippines has begun sales operations for 15 dealerships throughout Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. No other brand has launched with so many dealerships in such a short period of time. These dealerships are located in North EDSA, Pasig, Pasong Tamo, Alabang, Cainta (Rizal), Marilao, La Union, Bacoor (Cavite), GMA-Cavite, Iloilo, Talisay Cebu, General Santos, Davao City, Tagum Davao, and Cagayan De Oro.

Underscoring the new dealers’ trust in the Chery brand is the fact that none of the dealerships are new to the business. All current Chery dealers are multi-brand operations and combined, have over 50 years of automotive experience and employ more than 1,000 employees handling the Chery brand.

These big multi-brand dealers include some of the most illustrious and experienced dealership groups and principals in the automotive industry like Autohub Group, San Juan, Chiongbian Group, Magnet Motors, Gateway Group, A&B United, and Angcore Group, among other dealership heavyweights.

The rapid acceptance of Chery by multi-brand dealerships is a testament to their trust and confidence in this resurgent Chinese brand and its modern, stylish, highly equipped, and very affordable crossover models, as well as the growth and potential of the Chery brand and the very capable team at UAAGI behind it.

The Chery channels: Chery Auto PH App and Chery on social media

A truly useful tool in this time of social distancing is the Chery Auto PH App. The new app is available for download on the Google Play Store for Android smartphones, with an iOS version for iPhones to be launched in December 2020. 

The Chery Auto PH app will function as a digital showroom where customers can check out Chery’s vehicle models and their specs, see the list of all Chery dealerships nationwide, request and schedule a test drive, book an appointment for car maintenance and repair, order spare parts, inquire about specific Chery models, and request for a quotation for the Chery model they are interested in. The Chery Auto PH App also has a rewards program where users earn points for using the app to purchase a vehicle, refer a friend and schedule a service.

The Next Years

Challenges from the ongoing pandemic notwithstanding, the first year of Chery in the Philippines marked rapid and successful growth underscored by a series of groundbreaking new products, services, and innovations. But that was just for the first 12 months. Chery Auto PH is fully committed to the Filipino car buyer and is poised to continue its industry-leading sales and after-sales best practices to bring the most feature- and value-packed vehicles to the market.