There’s a new subcompact sedan in town, and it’s from one of the fastest-growing car brands in the Philippines – Geely. Exclusively distributed by Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP), the Chinese automaker has entered the lucrative small sedan segment with its own contender, the Geely Emgrand.
During the media launch of the newest Geely in the market, SGAP Sales and Marketing General Manager Froilan Dytianquin was tasked to address the elephant in the room: will Geely allow buyers of the Emgrand to use the car for ride-sharing and taxi services?
According to Dytianquin, Geely will not only allow owners to use the Emgrand for Grab or other taxi services, the company could also bring in a base variant that’s specifically for taxi use.
With the country on the verge of recovering from the economic adversity it faced due to the pandemic, this is a welcome thought. However, we must note that taxi franchises aren’t open as of date, so ride-sharing services could be the next best option for those who consider the Emgrand for profitable use.
“Actually, there’s no restriction for the Emgrand … if the taxi companies would like to purchase these cars and use as taxis. But right now we’re also studying a base model which can be used specifically for taxi use. That one will probably come later as we study the market demand. As we all know, the taxi franchises are not yet open, and the LTFRB is actually granting only their replacements for their current fleet that they have.”
For the uninitiated, there are car brands that don’t allow their customers to use their cars for public transport use. Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) is one of them, though I am not completely sure of the rest of this niche list.
That said, it looks like Geely’s really aiming for volume with its new Emgrand sedan. Currently, the top-selling car in the Philippines is the Toyota Vios, which, as we all know, doubles as a go-to vehicle for fleet, ride-sharing business, and taxi use.
If the price is right and Geely should continue with its plan to introduce a base variant, there’s a huge chance that the company can cut through the sales numbers of the Vios. That’s especially considering the size advantage of the Emgrand, which dwarfs the Vios by spec sheet comparison at all.
Then, there’s the matter of pricing. The Geely Emgrand has two variants, Comfort and Premium, priced at P798,000 and P908,000, respectively. If the base variant will be priced below P700,000, the Emgrand has a better fighting chance against the reigning King of Sedans.
Of note, the Toyota Vios 1.3 Base and J – two variants that are usually used for fleet and taxi services – are priced at P681,000 and P707,000, respectively. These are the benchmark prices that Geely Philippines should be looking at.
But then again, there’s the matter of aftermarket services and reliability that these businesses also consider.