Ranger line offsets Train law’s effects
With excises taxes imposed on vehicles as a result of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law, a car company’s sales have remained stable, thanks to its popular pick-up model.
EJ Francisco of Ford Philippines said their Ford Ranger is still a top seller among their models because of its various functions, especially in off-road terrain.
“We are affected, but the Ranger is helping to offset it because it’s exempted from the tax since it’s a pick-up, and we’ve really seen a huge demand,” he said.
The company reported a 12-percent growth in sales from January to October 2017, and this year, Francisco said.
He said that the Ranger is a hit in provinces, especially in areas with rich agriculture and construction industries.
“Our bestseller is the pickup truck, especially here in the provinces because they use it
for agriculture in the farms, and entrepreneurship because they benefit, and also in construction,” he said.
The price range for the Ford Ranger is from P1 million to P1.6 million.
“One ranger has eight variants. So people can use it, depending on their budget. But many buy the Ranger worth P1.6 million because it is top of the line,” he said.
Francisco said that with the Train law, other car brands are looking at pick-up models as a growth area because it didn’t have an increase in its price.
Unlike the Ranger, the prices of their Everest and Ecosport models went up. Francisco hopes that the exemption on their pickup unit will not be lifted.
“While the Train has an impact on some vehicles, the pickup truck is the bestseller, for obvious reasons,” he said.
He said that to boost efforts on the marketing of their other units like the Everest,
“We started to offer it last October since the Everest is the oldest in our portfolio, and it has discounts of up to P150,000,” he said.
Ford has branches in Cebu City and Minglanilla. /