By VJ Bacungan
JETOUR Auto Philippines may be among the youngest Chinese automakers in the country, but it seems that its youthful exuberance will continue to pay off well into 2024.
“We are very thankful, especially to the consumers, because it is well-accepted by the mobility groups,” said the brand’s managing director Lito Jose in an exclusive interview with Inquirer Motoring.
“I think even other brands are saying that, after eight months from introduction, that JETOUR is one of the top of mind of the automotive consumers,” he added. “So with that, we are very successful in promoting and doing the product awareness and information campaign.”
Jose added that the company is targeting 20 dealerships nationwide to be actively selling units.
“And, of course, there are other interested parties who want to get dealerships,” he said. “But we have to assess how feasible their areas are. We have to calculate the areas of responsibility, how many kilometers they would be apart from each other.”
Best future
JETOUR Auto Philippines, which is a subsidiary of the Chery Holding Group, was officially launched in the country on April 2023, with sales starting the month after.
Helping Jose set the future for JETOUR Auto Philippines are company president Yves Licup, marketing director Cherry May De Los Santos and after-sales director Eryx Guiang.
It also helps that the brand chose the charismatic Team Kramer family as their brand ambassadors – Doug, Chesca, Kendra, Scarlett and Gavin not only appeal to middle-class Filipino families, but also to a wide range of age groups.
Industry-leading after-sales
Among the strongest selling points of JETOUR Auto Philippines is its strong after-sales package – a long-running bugbear for many Chinese brands in the Philippines that have come and gone over the years.
All fuel-fed models come with a market-leading 6-year or one million km bumper-to-bumper warranty. Meanwhile, the Ice Cream is the first-ever mini electric vehicle (EV) in the Philippines to come with a full manufacturer’s warranty at 3 years or 100,000 km, whichever comes first.
In addition, JETOUR Auto Philippines offers an 8-year/120,000-km warranty for the Ice Cream’s 13.9-kWh battery pack. Aside from this added peace of mind, the EV’s cute colors and P699,000 price tag have made it one of the brand’s best-selling models.
New hybrids, SUVs in the pipeline
JETOUR Auto Philippines is set to launch exciting new models as early as this month, on top of the current lineup that includes the Ice Cream, Dashing, X70 and X70 Plus.
Jose said the brand plans to expand its electrified lineup beyond the popular Ice Cream, both in the hybrid and EV segments.
“We are introducing as early as 2nd quarter of 2024, our full hybrid vehicle or PHEV,” he said, referring to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, where the vehicle can be charged with your ordinary household outlet or electric vehicle charging station.
“So basically, all model lineups will be available in three categories: Gasoline, hybrid and EV,” Jose added. “But we will be only be using full hybrid. We will not be introducing mild hybrid.”
The veteran automotive executive also said that JETOUR Auto Philippines is entering the off-road vehicle market, with the likes of the T2 sport-utility vehicle in the pipeline, along with new pick-up trucks to complement the cannon.
“These models will make the market more excited,” Jose said. “We are also excited because our model lineup will be completed.”
