If you went to the recent Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), there’s a good chance you stumbled upon a rather quaintly named brand that you hadn’t heard of. That brand is Jetour, a crossover specialist that’s making a lot of noise here and abroad. Even before its debut at MIAS, local distributor Jetour Auto Philippines, Inc. (JAPI) had been hard at work on establishing a foothold here – and attracting dealer partners to help it achieve its goals.
Recently, the brand further ramped up its efforts by sending a delegation composed of JAPI executives, bank partners, members of the media, and content creators to China for the automaker’s Auto Shanghai 2023 appearance.
The biennial mobility show at the National Exhibition and Convention Center draws a million visitors on average, and proves to be a perfect platform for brands and companies to highlight their portfolio – as well as to outline values, virtues, and vision.
First established in 2018, Jetour is headquartered in the Wuhu Hi-tech Industrial Development Park on the bank of the Yangtze River. The Chery Holdings-owned brand started as a model line, which has been spun off into its own as a separate marque. Its two Chinese characters “originated from classic Chinese literature and mean ‘successful career’ and ‘the world returns to the same place which different paths,’ also takes it anglicized name Jetour from ‘jet’ and ‘tour’ – denoting ‘convenience’ and ‘journey,’” said JAPI in a release.
After just 55 months, Jetour has registered some serious numbers – 700,000 units in sales. It started venturing beyond China’s borders in 2019, and today has established “over 400 sales and service locations in more than 35 countries and regions across the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, Asia-Pacific, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).” The company claimed it is the “SUV brand with the most overseas sales, and (is) the second fastest-growing auto exporter in China.”
If you look at the bigger picture, China as an auto supplier to the world is surging. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the country exported 3.11 million vehicles in 2022, up 54% year-on-year. Significantly, it surpassed Germany’s total figure for the first time, and now takes its place as the world’s second largest exporter of automobiles behind Japan.
Several members of the media, including this writer, sat down with Jetour Auto Vice General Manager Chuandeng Ke, Chery Commercial Vehicle International Marketing Company Deputy General Manager Bart Wang, and JAPI Managing Director Miguelito Jose for a short interview session after the brand’s program at Auto Shanghai.
Ke said that while Jetour itself is a relatively new player, the conglomerate to which it belongs is not. “We operate independently, but we use the same technology platform. Chery has been around for 25 years, and we have a very solid technical foundation. Even if Jetour is a new brand, we use the same supply system and the same technical system.”
The marque also benefits from today’s global popularity of automobiles coming from its country. “That gives Jetour a good opportunity outside of China. That is a good foundation, because if Chinese brands have a good reputation in the international market, that also benefits Jetour. We will apply what we did in China to the (global market)… The Chinese market is a tough market, so if a brand can survive in China, that means it has competitiveness,” posited Ke.
Joined Jose, “Chinese brands entered in the Philippines about 10 years ago. In five years, we saw the big difference, with two or three brands able to (succeed) in our country. When we introduced Jetour, we were amazed by the acceptance of the public.”
Ke asserted the importance of conveying messages and an image beyond the spec sheet of Jetour’s vehicles. These are enshrined in the company’s “Travel+” concept. “If we talk only about cars, there’s no big difference. Quality, no problem. Specification, no problem. We have to create our own differentiators in our promotions, our relationship with users… We want to people to think about Jetour. We want to create this image that our key competitiveness is Travel+,” said the executive. “’Plus’ has two meanings. First, in Chinese it means ‘home.’ So, in China, we promote the idea of ‘travel home,’ a mobile home that’s safe, intelligent, and comfortable… Secondly, ‘plus’ means everything else – platform, product, benefits.”
Jetour is also doubling down on the its SUV-making credentials. According to Ke, the X70, X70 Plus, and X90 are geared for “family travel on urban roads;” the Dashing is “not only for families but especially for young people;” and the just-launched T2 boasts “necessary off-road performance” for adventures off the beaten path.
One of the prevailing concerns in the auto industry is the lack of actual units, brought about by an ongoing (though improving) semiconductor and parts shortage. In many cases, this is leading to a dearth of inventory and a waitlist for customers. I asked if Jetour can assure the supply to fuel its growth trajectory in the Philippines (at the moment, 13 dealerships are awaiting construction/completion).
“There’s no doubt about the supply,” replied Ke. “That is our main competitiveness.
We have more than 10 production bases in China in different cities, so we have enough capacity. We also update our factory technology. We have the best factories in the world: One minute, one car. We have also updated our production line capability.” He further boasted that Jetour has a “black factory,” meaning they don’t need illumination because robots are mainly conscripted for work in the assembly line.
As for spare parts, Jetour is said to have a “special section” that produces these. “We have a complete supply,” he maintained. And because of China’s proximity to the Philippines, vehicles can be shipped in as little as three days.
Jetour is envisioning a productive year, with projected sales of 2,000 in the Philippines when 2023 is done and dusted. That’s where the expertise and girth of JAPI’s principals is expected to come into play. The distributorship is backed by established major players in the local auto industry: the Gateway Group and the AutoSpeedyGo Group.
The Gateway Group was founded in 2004 by the Goho family, and is the largest dealer group in the Philippines — operating in 53 major cities and provinces in the country. For its part, AutoSpeedyGo Group was co-founded in 2016 by Vincent Licup, who has 30 years of experience in the automotive dealership business. AutoSpeedyGo has 14 establishments across six global brands. Its footprint is located in the northern part of the National Capital Region and two major municipalities of Bulacan and Pasig City. JAPI’s management team is headed by its president Yves Licup, vice president Michael Goho, managing director Lito Jose, and marketing director May de los Santos.
Jetour promises to roll out new models every six months, and by all indications, these units will more quickly be brought into the Philippines market. Of note, Jetour officials are declaring that, yes, electric vehicles are coming sooner than later.
JAPI reported that, at the MIAS, 70 Jetour bookings – a majority for the Dashing model – were recorded. This is surely a jumpstart for the brand that looks to be in our market for the long haul.