CHERY THE 4TH TIME AROUND

Chery, one of China’s top ten car brands, was brought to the Philippines in 2007 by Iseway Motors, a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based conglomerate.

Chery’s first offering, the low-cost but cute little QQ mini hatchback, became a hit and hundreds of units were acquired by business enterprises for use by their field salesmen. QQ cars bearing the Coca-cola logo were frequently seen on the road.

Unfortunately, unsatisfactory aftersales service and an inadequate inventory of parts, eventually eroded consumer demand and caused Chery dealerships to close down. Two more attempts followed to revive the brand, but did not succeed.

Now Chery is coming back again, this time via a partnership with United Asia Automotive Group, Inc. (UAAGI), the exclusive Philippine distributor and local assembler of Foton vehicles.

At the contract signing ceremony of Chery and UAAGI at Chery’s headquarters in Wuhan, China, the president of Chery International promised to excel internally and focus externally to give buyers a great customer experience.

The new partnership did not reveal what Chery models would be the brand’s initial offerings in the Philippines, but the fact that motoring media guests were invited to test drive the Tiggo crossover and the Exceed premium SUV, may have been a hint.

Given the checkered history of Chery in the country, it would be fascinating to see what UAAGI will do to re-establish the brand’s market viability.