ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Drive devider Terrafirma Motors Corp. to offer fully-electric trucks and PUVs

Terrafirma Motors Corp. to offer fully-electric trucks and PUVs

Electrifying the light truck segment

Published Mar 15, 2023 03:14 am
One Filipino company hopes to provide the transport and logistics sector with fully-electric mobility solutions. Terrafirma Motors Corporation (TMC), a company under the umbrella of the Columbian Autocar Group, recently signed an agreement with Chengdu Dayun Automobile Co. Ltd. (Chengdu Dayun).
The ceremonial signing, headed by TMC Chairman, Bienvenido Santos, and Chengdu Dayun Executive Vice General Manger, Xie Ping, signifies the start of an assembly and distribution partnership between the two groups. Founded by CAMPI Chairman Emeritus Gov. Jose Ch. Alvarez, and helmed by Felix Mabilog, Jr. as the president, TMC is part of the Columbian Group, which has traditionally been involved in the manufacture, assembly, distribution and retail of vehicles. The company has partnered with several automotive brands in the past including BMW, Kia, Mazda, Range Rover, Peugeot and Mahindra. At present, TMC is focusing on contributing to nationwide development by shifting from private vehicle distribution to the assembly of commercial vehicles meant to spur economic  development. On a macro scale, the Columbian Group has business interests in the land, sea and air transportation industries.
These chassis and engine of these vehicles will be sourced from Chengdu Dayun. The company is the fourth leading private automotive company in China and manufactures conventional and new energy vehicles. It is also into real estate development, logistics, construction and film investment. With specific focus on cost-effective, green technology, the company aims to create more value for its clients and to help create a better world for the next generation. As an initial product offering, TMC is set to assemble and distribute to the Philippine market the Dayun Dragon EX5, an electric powered light truck that can be configured in several ways. The chassis and engine will be sourced from Dayun while coach and bodybuilding will be done locally. “We are very proud to be partnering with the Chengdu Dayun group. With Terrafirma’s expertise in vehicle assembly, the Dragon EX5 is set to become a fixture on Philippine roads. Eventually, with the help of our local distribution partner, Astara Philippines, this product will contribute to the vehicle modernization program as a champion of clean air technology. We look forward to contributing to a brighter, cleaner future for the Philippines with this partnership with Chengdu Dayun,” said Santos.
A prototype of the Dayun Dragon EX5 was unveiled after the ceremonial signing. Attended by media and several business partners, this landmark event signifies Terrafirma’s long-term commitment to the automobile industry and to nationwide development. “We are in talks with Meralco, the country’s leading electric company, to find ways to bring these cleaner emitting vehicles to more industries throughout the country. Terrafirma’s goal is to remain relevant in the area of mobility even as we adapt to the needs of the times. We aim to electrify the future,” ended Santos. Terrafirma also hopes to participate in the PUV Modernization program with designs for Class 2 and Class 3 PUVs being studied. The Terrafirma modern PUVs will be powered by fully-electric powertrains making them zero-emission public transport vehicles. Besides fully-electric vehicles, Terrafirma also hopes to offer diesel-powered trucks in the future.

Related Tags

trucking
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.