Recent rumblings in the automotive industry talk about Chinese brands changing management hands. And from what we've heard, there will be a few. But why do the principals feel the sudden need to come in lock, stock, and barrel to take over the Filipino-run local distributorships? 

Haven't they done enough to promote the brand?

Did the distributors fall short of sales targets?

Or have the distributors failed in the perception game despite the uptick in Chinese-made cars' build, tech and quality in recent years?

Let's look back at the kind of marketing imagery the current distributors of prominent Chinese brands presented at the last Manila International Auto Show to see if there really is a need to shake the proverbial tree.

MIAS: The China-brand motor show?

The second MIAS after the pandemic saw old stalwarts establish themselves in a big way, with electric or hybrid vehicles getting some headlines. But as we've seen with the sheer number of attendees and visitors to the 4-day event, more Chinese automakers are getting into the national motoring consciousness.

China car company Jetour made its formal public debut at the car show, adding to a stacked list of locally available China brands that include BYD, Changan, Chery, Foton, GAC, Geely, GWM, and MG. 

Another observed trend by this writer during his coverage of MIAS was that even on the first day, people came in droves and they hung out at the China-brand displays. That was a good signal, considering that the previous MIAS in 2022 had sparse crowds during its opening day. 

That said, this poster felt the need to go around the China-brand booths at MIAS and offer his take on what they displayed. Of course, as with his previous take on the 2022 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), there were also grades for the manufacturers present at the MIAS. 

BYD - 4/10

BYD, or Build Your Dreams, was one of the two car companies at the back right corner of the World Trade Center (WTC) trade halls. It formally unveiled the Han all-electric car to the public. 

The problem is that the Han was hemmed in by three more BYD products in its booth, and the distance between autos seemed like a hand’s width away. Thus, the booth felt cramped and made it hard to look at each car.

Frankly, BYD should have just brought in two models (including the aforementioned Han electric unit) so that everybody could view both four-wheelers without having to rub elbows or shoulders. 

Changan - 7/10

Like its MIAS 2022 display, Changan’s MIAS 2023 booth presented its entire locally available lineup. The only difference was that no hybrid/all-electric passenger cars were on display. Instead, Changan positioned the Uni-T and Uni-K crossover SUVs in front (but not at the center).

The car company also tossed in a somewhat off-kilter 2019 CS35 small SUV at the rear right area of its booth, surrounded by a steel barrier and a mirror below its chassis to presumably show the pristine condition of the sport-ute.

This part of the Changan display presented the real-world durability of Changan units, as Changan Philippines claimed that the particular CS35 ran some 100,000 kilometers.

The only disappointment was that the booth lighting (despite being bright) didn’t train its beams more on the Uni-T and Uni-K units, as this writer noted that more booth attendees went for the brand-new CS35 unit in the left middle area. 

Chery - 7/10

The Chinese sport-ute specialist went with a four-SUV display at its booth, with the newly launched Tiggo 7 Pro HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and Tiggo 5 Pro HEV units as the highlights.

A Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and a Tiggo 5 Pro were at the ends of the booth, with nearly two feet of space between units.  An all-white motif served as a pleasing contrast to the display units’ outside colorways (which ranged from white to blue to gray) and seemed to increase lighting despite dark spots in and around the booth. 

This was one booth that followed the adage “less is more,” which proved to be quite beneficial for the booth's aesthetics. It also aligned with the recent thrust of the brand to project a premium vibe, as its Sales Consultants wore business attire complete with coats and slacks. The brand eventually won the Best Booth Award for this year's MIAS.

Foton -4/10

Foton must have spent its entire first half of 2023 events effort on its Big Show (also held at the WTC, albeit two months earlier). Only a Thunder double cab pickup and one of its class three trucks were displayed at MIAS 2023, a far cry from MIAS 2022 and PIMS 2022 endeavors. But of course, space was an issue for its commercial vehicles, most of which were parked at the outdoor display tent.

Arguably the only redeeming matter at this manufacturer’s booth was the car show models on hand. The models attracted shutterbugs and testosterone-laden, smartphone-toting booth attendees.

This poster observed the latter gravitating to the ladies, likely not only for the models’ looks but also their outfits. This reminded this writer of [actress] Ana de Armas’ ensemble in the James Bond movie “No Time To Die.” 

GAC - 6/10

One lesson that GAC learned from its MIAS 2022 display is that if your booth is at a prime spot in the World Trade Center, you don’t put your highlighted models at the front edge of the floor area. This is because the booth lighting in that area is more sparse than in the middle, which results in foot traffic not seeing the highlighted nameplate. 

That was what happened to the Empow Sport compact sedan during MIAS 2022. Fortunately, GAC didn’t commit the same mistake as the Emkoo. The sport-ute was in the middle of the booth and on a raised platform, which garnered a lot of lighting and stares from passers-by.

The unusual part about GAC’s setup was that there was a large white wall with a big TV screen that also served as a divider. Sadly, a GS4 compact SUV and a GA8 multipurpose vehicle were behind this wall. Both GAC units rarely got foot traffic, compared to the GAC units in front facing the lobby of WTC.

You could feel the struggle of the sales agents assigned to those two GAC models, trying to attract attendees to that side of the booth. 

Geely - 7/10

Geely made the most out of limited space at its MIAS 2023 booth with some clever use of space, which included positioning its display units to accommodate a raised platform for the newly launched GX3 Pro small crossover and a second-story lounge.

Probably the only questions this poster had with the Geely booth were about the sparse lighting and the small beach theme at the booth’s front.  

Great Wall Motor - 4/10

The second of two car companies located at the upper rightmost end of the WTC trade halls, GWM or Great Wall Motor, presented three products - the Cannon double cab pickup, the Haval H6 hybrid electric sport-ute, and the Haval Jolion compact crossover SUV. 

However, like fellow China carmaker BYD, the width between model displays seemed like a hand’s length or even less. Thus, viewing the exterior details of GWM items was limited, and one couldn’t even open the doors of each GWM auto at full extension.

Much like BYD’s dilemma at MIAS, GWM was limited by booth space, which also limited product displays. Also, like BYD, GWM should have gone with just a two-model showcase so that booth attendees could easily view all details of the cars. 

Jetour - 7/10

The newest China car maker to officially debut on Philippine shores highlighted the Dashing compact crossover SUV, the Ice Cream mini-compact three-door electric vehicle (EV), and several variants of its X70 seven-seater sport-utes.

The Dashing took center stage at the Jetour booth, with the Ice Cream EV at its immediate left flank and the X70s stationed at both ends of Jetour’s display. Wide spacing between display units, bright lighting, and loud audio-visual reminders for car show attendees to flock to the Jetour booth was noted by this writer.

The only downer was that the manufacturer should have gone with a white floor instead of a glossy black floor so that the ceiling light beams would reflect onto the cars – and make it easier on the eyes for foot traffic.

It was quite a good first salvo for a newbie in the Philippine motoring industry scene. 

MG (Morris Garages) -  4/10

The only booth that practically displayed its entire lineup at MIAS ’23, MG seemed to occupy most of the right wing of the World Trade Center hall. 

Although a colorful display of an entire product roster looks good from marketing and public relations standpoints, the trouble with this approach is that attendees might need help to discern what exact models the manufacturer was pushing at a particular time.

This writer noted that MG booth attendees had divided attention, often going to the area close to the BYD and Jetour booths instead of milling around the entire MG booth. It’s a head-scratcher, as the car company toted a green two-door MG BGT at the rightmost end (close to the walls and the ticket booth behind them), wherein one can see the carmaker’s quaint British beginnings.

So what do you think? Do Filipino distributors still need to improve their China-car brand-building efforts?

Let us know your thoughts on this article by sending a few stars our way.