Made in China

There was a time when car manufacturers and distributors in the Philippines would sell “stripped down models,” meaning vehicles that had the bare minimum of inputs. I remember seeing a really cool Japanese SUV in Holland that had all the trims, rallye wheels, performance equipment, bucket seats, fog lamps, air conditioner and latest stereo. But when the same model came out in the Philippines the first thing I noticed was that the “rallye wheels” were replaced with plain white steel rims, no bucket seats, no performance equipment, no fog lamps, and a plain jane stereo. The prevailing mentality among automotive executives back then was that Filipinos could not afford the “international model,” or would not be willing to pay for it. Ironically, the same executives sold all the extras or add ons as after market equipment at twice their original price.

Back then it was a US versus Japan market with the not so common sprinkling of European brands that were even more expensive and ten times harder to maintain or find parts for. I remember having to “hand carry” a cylinder head for my dad’s early eighties Mercedes Benz. But times have changed and so has the market. A lot of people now ask me about “made in China” vehicles and the people asking are not the low budget types who don’t have the cash to splash. They are people who run their own companies, are financially savvy, they want style but they also want prices that are a steal. More importantly they want to make informed purchases, not impulse or populist driven decisions. After asking about the products, they do serious pencil pushing in order to maximize their use of a vehicle, but stretch payments or terms to the point as if they were just leasing a vehicle. They don’t have car culture mentality treating cars as keepers. They think best buy, most bang and sell off, or pass on to someone after three or five years.

When the “made in China” cars first hit the market, there were a number of issues regarding quality and style. Several brands actually never really took off and the few that stayed to try, folded up. We thought that they had up and left, never to be seen again. But it seems that the “made in China” car companies had picked up a few lessons from their counterparts in the truck manufacturing sector who somehow managed to get a breakthrough versus the Japanese, American and European truck market in the Philippines. At the same time a number of European car manufacturers had built up cooperations, productions and mergers in China which apparently led to developing “new” models for Asia or some sort of rebadging or extending the life of previous models.  After about three to five years we started hearing about new brands or rebranded models that were “made in China.” But unlike before, they were not cars but sport utility vehicles which is actually the preferred model of the Asian market. In short, Western and Chinese companies put their resources together to develop the Asian market.

The Chinese were no longer playing the world’s production plant or factory. They had built up enough facilities, technology and capital that they ended up buying into western companies or buying them out. As my friend often told me: In the end China wins. Right now there are several eye catching, well performing and well priced “made in China” SUVs available in the Philippines. The top of the range gets you all the luxuries you want in an SUV for around P1,300,000 ++ and the most affordable I have heard and test drove so far is at P695,000, the Chery TIGGO-2. In order to get a better appreciation of “made in China” SUVs, I borrowed a Chery TIGGO-2 compact or mini SUV. Honestly speaking if you removed all the trims and badges, only an expert might be able to tell if it’s Japanese or Chinese or European. Truth be told most SUVs nowadays look very similar and the TIGGO-2 looked very modern and sporty as an SUV should. The distinction of this particular model was its size; small just like my wife wanted so she would not have the same problems parking whenever she drives our regular size or full size SUV. Because its small and “nimble,” you have to resist the temptation of squeezing in between lanes like a motorcycle. The 1.5L engine gives the TIGGO-2 enough power and I often found myself unaware of driving at 120kph because the interiors were quiet. The only thing that really needs getting used to is that the TIGGO 2 are mostly equipped with automatic transmission and does not come with turbo power. You don’t get the same zip during overtaking like you do with turbo charged engines. Over all this “made in China” SUV is the right size for city driving, great looks and comparable to high end models, and best of all is priced right.

While I test drove the TIGGO-2, a friend of mine showed off his newly acquired Geely SUV. The brand is reportedly based on the platform of a European SUV and can compete against a well-known British badge but at half the price. The interiors were luxurious and my friend who is one of those picky type of car guys swears that the ride was so nice and quiet. That says a lot since he was not a believer of “made in China” SUVs. While we’re talking about “made in China” SUVs I mustn’t forget to tell you about the highest selling “made in China” SUV in the Philippines which is MG or Morris Garage. Banking on a long history of motoring excellence and class, MG has moved from UK to a mega plant somewhere in China and has come out with a line-up of SUVs that many Filipinos have been buying up. So, there you go; made in China SUVs are giving the global brands a run for their money!

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