Petromax Enterprise, the current importer of Italian car brands Alfa Romeo and Abarth, is looking to expand its Philippine dealer network.

In an exclusive interview with AutoFun Philippines, Petromax president Allen Ong said the company is planning to open four more dealers locally.

“Once na Stellantis, official na [Once Stellantis is official], then that's when we're going to put up, appoint dealers in other parts of the country,” he said.

Ong added that the location and timeline of these new dealers will depend on Stellantis, the multinational corporation that emerged following the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. 

Stellantis is currently the fourth-largest car company in the world in terms of sales. Its vast brand portfolio includes Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Mopar, Opel, Peugeot, RAM and Vauxhall. 

Bigger location

Petromax recently inaugurated its new showroom on C-5 in Libis, Quezon City, relocating there from its original spot in San Juan.

“‘Yung [The] area is bigger compared to our other showroom-service center, which was located before in Ortigas, Greenhills,” Ong told AutoFun Philippines when asked about the decision to move.

“Sa tingin ko, mas magiging OK dito sa hilera na ito because BMW is here," he added. "Tapos, marami ring automotive, so dito tayo.”

[Translation: I think it will be more OK here in this area because BMW is here. Also, there are many other automotive dealers, so we’ll be here.]

The Petromax showroom is located less than five minutes away from RSA Libis, an official dealer of BMW Philippines that is also located along the C-5 national highway.

Not official yet

Ong admitted that Petromax, which set up operations in 2017, is not yet the official Philippine importer and distributor of the two Italian marques.

“Five years ago, Southeast Asia, there's no official dealers,” he said. “Lahat kami, unofficial dealers, so meaning walang quota, walang everything. As long as you get the cars, we service the cars, 'yun ‘yung important.”

[Translation: All of us were unofficial dealers, so it means you have no quota, no everything. As long as you get the cars, we service the cars, that’s what was important.]

Ong said this was because FCA, the predecessor of Stellantis, was focusing its operations in larger markets.

“Siyempre kasi, ‘pag official ka, kailangan may marketing budget,” he said. “Eh that time, the budget is in Europe, America and China, so Southeast Asia, wala pa talaga. Pero may mga dealers ng Alfa Romeo at Abarth here in Southeast Asia, pero ‘yung tawag sa amin, hindi kami ‘yung official.”

[Translation: Of course, when you’re official, you need to have a marketing budget. But at that time, the budget is in Europe, America and China, so Southeast Asia, there was nothing yet. But there are dealers of Alfa Romeo and Abarth in Southeast Asia, but we’re not called official.]

The company courted controversy in 2018 after media outlets reported that FCA branded Petromax as a “gray importer” that was using the Alfa Romeo and Abarth logos without permission.

At the time, Ong said he had secured approval for the design of the San Juan showroom, which included displaying the two marque’s logos on the facade. The current C-5 dealership still shows the logos, but only inside the showroom.

Nonetheless, Ong said Petromax will provide full aftersales support to customers who buy brand-new models from the company, along with helping owners of older Alfa Romeo models repair and maintain their cars.

Stellantis coming soon?

Despite the controversy, Ong said Stellantis is slowly expanding its official footprint in Southeast Asia.

“Kasi now, meron sa Hong Kong and Singapore,” he said. “So eventually, papasok din sa Philippines.”

[Translation: Because now, there are dealers in Hong Kong and Singapore. So eventually, Stellantis will officially enter the Philippines.]

Alfa Romeo appointed Azzurri Automobile as its official distributor in Hong Kong and Macau, with the company officially starting operations on May 2023. Alfa Romeo Hong Kong opened its first showroom on June 2023.

Meanwhile, Capella Auto became the new official distributor of Alfa Romeo in Singapore on April 2023, This was after EuroAutomobile relinquished its distributorship in 2022 because of challenging market conditions.

Both the Hong Kong and Singapore dealers use the official Alfa Romeo website design, which includes links to Stellantis’ copyright policy and global website. But as of press time, neither is part of the official list of dealers on the Alfa Romeo Asia dealer selector website.

In the Philippines, two international multi-brand groups handle various Stellantis brands. Astara Philippines is the official distributor of Peugeot, while Inchcape is the official distributor of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and RAM.

Do you think Petromax will have what it takes to sway longtime German high-performance car buyers?

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