Maxus Philippines has joined the expanding SUV market with the introduction of D60, a compact SUV that is expected to become one of its major growth drivers.

Maxus Philippines President Felipe Estrella said the competitive Philippine SUV market will need to make room stressing that the “D60 signals our serious intent to take the compact SUV to the “MAX” in design, functionality, performance, comfort, and safety.”

He said that the launch of Maxus D60 will be a refreshing model and provide a confident-looking model in the domestic SUV market.  

“The D60 is what every young and active urban professional expects to see, and feel, in a compact SUV. But because it’s a Maxus, these expectations are well exceeded. The bold and dynamic design perfectly suits modern lifestyle trends, while the power, performance, comfort, and safety features keep its owners and passengers ahead of the curve,” Estrella said.

At the D60 launch, company spokesperson Jun Cajayon said that buyers of the initial 100 units could still acquire the vehicle at lower prices because the initial batch were imported prior to the imposition of the safeguard measure on imported light commercial vehicles and passenger cars.

The suggested retail price of D60 has been pegged at subcompact levels. The D60 1.5T Pro is offered for just P1,148,000 while the D60 1.5T Elite at P1,258,000. Coupled with the Maxus brand assurance of low maintenance costs and topnotch after-sales service, the D60 offers “Max Savings,” even as you get features not commonly found in compact and subcompact SUVs.

The company is targeting at least five times increase in its sales this year to 1,000 units already taking into consideration the imposition of the safeguard duty for its succeeding D60 importation. D60 is the fifth model of Maxus in the Philippines.

D60 is the first of the Maxus’ planned 5 model introductions for 2021. Cajayon said that the second model has already been secured for introduction in the middle of this year and the remaining three towards the tail end of 2021.

In choosing for an SUV introduction this year, Cajayon cited the growing market for  SUV at present. “It is a battle of cross overs,” he said citing SUV model presence even in the entry level, compact and full-sized SUVs.

Also, he said, Maxus has actually an expertise h when it comes to SUVs, not just commercial vehicles.

In addition, he said that D60 has a good value proposition describing it as “punching above its weight” because its price positioning. This is on top of its excellent styling and superior performance that will endear to the Filipino consumers.

To support growth, Maxus will appoint five new dealerships this year in addition to its existing 8. The new dealerships will be strategically located in south (Laguna area) and north Luzon and one in Mindanao.

The Ayala-owned car unit, is also implementing vehicle strategies, including its 5-year warranty program, 5-year free emergency roadside assistance, availability of parts (stocks of up for 5 months), enhanced service quality, and low cost of maintenance up to 22 percent more affordable vs other brands.

The new Maxus D60 comes in six vibrant colors: Competitive Orange and Polar Ash (exclusive to the Elite), Metal Black and Wace Red (exclusive to the Pro), and Warm Argent and Warm White (available for both variants).

The Maxus D60 compact SUV joins Maxus Philippines’ 5 “Max Solid” growing vehicle lineup that includes the G50 MPV, the T60 pick-up, the G10 van, and the V80 van, all of which are infused with Maxus’ 126 years of British-bred heritage and global expertise.

 Meanwhile, Toti Zara, president of Automobile Central Enterprise Inc., noted that the Maxus brand of light commercial vehicles, had already established a global presence when AC Motors, Ayala’s wholly owned vehicle distribution and retail dealership arm under AC Industrials Group, introduced it to the Filipinos.

“That is why, for AC Motors and Maxus Philippines, the road ahead will always remain infinitely filled with more possibilities. In its own 30-year history, the AC Motors Automotive Group has gathered the best of the world’s automotive brands, in the process paving the way for a truly diverse mobility future that will ultimately uplift every Filipino’s quality of life,” he said.

He said the Maxus brand strengthens the commercial vehicle line-up of AC Motors Distributor business.   It fits well in complementing its other brands. 

“We are confident commercial vehicle segments, pick-ups, vans and Trucks, will recover in 2021 despite recent safeguard measures imposed by government,” he said noting that over the past 5 years commercial vehicles grew from 25 percent of total industry to 34 percent in 2020.