After months of intensive cooperative study, Luxuriant Automotive Group and Great Wall Motor have formalized their partnership through the signing of a distributorship agreement on October 26, 2022, at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, marking the substantial progress of cooperation between the two parties. The strategic move was fueled by Great Wall Motor’s goal to expand their operations in the Philippines, closely following the opening of Malaysia and Thailand, and SQ Group’s vision to further diversify their multi-business footprint. In attendance to witness the significant milestone were key officers of Great Wall Motor and SQ Group of Companies.
Luxuriant Automotive Group, Inc. (LAGI) is the automotive business division of SQ Group, which was established in 1988. SQ Group currently holds interests in manufacturing, real estate, import and distribution, with three decades of experience in the Philippine market. After years of observation, the group has gained insights on the auto industry namely, that automotive products produced in China have increased dramatically in terms of quality, intelligence and aftersales service, and their importation into the Philippines is a viable enterprise.
At the signing ceremony, Ms. Lilian Cui, General Manager of Great Wall Motors’ Philippines Project shared that the brand is experiencing bullish growth in ASEAN markets and, she is optimistic that the same will be true for the Philippine market. For his part, Mr. Ruben Tan, President of Luxuriant Automotive, SQ Group’s automotive division, stated that in order to achieve the same success as Great Wall Motor has reaped in ASEAN markets, his team will be committed to deliver a new customer experience through new technology and innovation, and aftersales excellence.
“In the next few weeks, we will be providing further information, such as our first dealer location and initial vehicle line-up,” said Tan. However, Great Wall Motor and SQ Group promise to make premium vehicle features with top-notch exterior and interior designs more accessible to the Philippine market. According to Tan, the Philippine market can expect to take full advantage of Great Wall Motor’s rich product lineup, which products have earned excellent reviews from such markets as Australia, South Africa, and Thailand, to name a few. After more than 30 years development, GWM has become one of the largest auto groups in China. With its considerable continuous investment on R&D, GWM is now capable of providing a comprehensive lineup of models of distinct characteristics. As a maker GWM is able to satisfy the range of customer demand from ICE, HEV, PHEV, and BEV. This superior R&D capability and the huge potential it carries is the reason LAGI endeavored to partner with GWM. LAGI believes GWM models would provide the elevated car ownership and usage experience to Philippine customers.
"Working with Great Wall Motor, we will leverage its product lineup strengths, and we would like to launch SUVs, pickup trucks and other popular categories in the Philippines. We look forward to new forms of energy for the Philippine customer. All this time, we will put the customers’ wants at the forefront of our local strategy, bringing enhanced products and services to local consumers, meeting them at their need. LAGI has set up the team for working with GWM, the models we are planning to bring into the Philippines market are all very popular in other overseas market, and GWM models will make 2023 a very exciting year for Philippine automotives,” said Tan.
Great Wall Motor owns several brands offering crossovers, pickup trucks, SUVs, and electric vehicles. It is the leading pickup truck manufacturer in China domestic market, while also leading in the SUV segments, under its SUV brands Haval and Tank. Great Wall Motor is one of the most recognized auto entities in China, with 1.280M units sold in 2021, to more than 170 countries. To ensure continuous enhancement of its customers’ experience, it has established R&D center in China, America, Canada, Germany, Austria, Japan, Korea, for advanced research and development of cars, core components, EV, and intelligence systems. Great Wall Motor also has 10 factories with full automotive manufacturing process in China and similar scale factories in Thailand , Brazil, and Russia.