Short of naming its upcoming model, Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP)—the official local distributor of the Geely brand of vehicles—announced its impending entry to the sedan market, the country’s most lucrative segment.
“Our confidence in the decision to finally enter the challenging sedan market comes from the overwhelming support and trust we have been getting from the people for the past two years. Not to mention the growing demand for entry level vehicles that started when the pandemic broke out,” said SGAP President and CEO Yosuke Nishi.
Nishi informed that for 2021 SGAP sold a total of 6,104 units, nearly triple the sales figure it posted in 2020 (2,158 units). This is interesting considering Geely is currently offering only three models: the Coolray compact crossover with 3,221 units sold last year, the Okavango seven-seater MPV/crossover with 2,562 units sold last year, and the Azkarra crossover with 321 units sold.
With the soon-to-be launched sedan—most possibly, the Emgrand although it can be given a different name for the PH market—will be exclusively built at Geely Auto’s new “5G Connected Factory,” a tour de force in car manufacturing excellence as it is capable of producing one car every 30 minutes, according to Nishi.
The factory is highly automated, including a welding line that is 100 percent automated and a presence of Automated Guided Vehicles or AGVs that constantly move around the factory to deliver the specific panels and parts to the different sections of the factory.The AGVs are managed by the super-fast 5G+ network that allows seamless communication between these robots and cloud services that update live information such as inventory levels, production status and the AGV locations.
The new sedan shares the same platform as Geely’s most popular model, the Coolray. Called the B-segment Modular Architecture or BMA, this platform is a new strategic modular architecture developed by the Geely Auto Group and can be used in compact cars, MPVs, and SUVs.
This means the new Geely sedan is expected to offer more space, better comfort, and more stable handling.
“As the economy is expected to regain its strength next year, we believe that there is no better time to bring in a new model to usher in more excitement for the Geely brand. Geely has made a significant mark in the Philippine automotive market in terms of sales and awareness in a remarkably short span of time and has aggressively expanded its network despite the pandemic and lockdowns. We have definitely exceeded what we have projected for Geely brand and we plan to continuously provide the best value products and satisfaction to our customers,” Nishi said.
Indeed, the growth of Geely is unmistakably a testament to the effort the company put into its vehicles, and it shows how the vehicles are performing for their owners. With the arrival of its first sedan model in the Philippines, SGAP is confident it will maintain its growth trajectory.
