Now almost three years in the country, BAIC Philippines finally opens their flagship showroom after first focusing on fundamentals and having already established a network of dealerships and service centers nationwide. And, after the market’s positive response to their bargain priced utility vehicles, they now also launch a new line of light trucks, among which is the Freedom mini-truck that’s remarkably suited to the role of family workhorse.
Press Statement by BAIC Philippines, “BAIC Philippines opens flagship showroom, launches light truck models,” 2017:
BAIC Philippines formally opened their flagship showroom in Makati City last July 14 and made the new facilities the backdrop for the official unveiling of their new Bayanihan H5 light truck and Freedom compact truck models. The flagship showroom in a new, purpose-built building now speaks of BAIC Philippines’ continued commitment to this market, while the new Bayanihan H5 and Freedom trucks show their intent to keep providing up-to-date, affordable and versatile vehicles to Philippine customers.
Flagship to a fleet of showrooms and service centers
The inauguration of the flagship facilities comes with the automotive brand already having 8 dealers and 22 accredited service centers in Luzon, Visayas and in Mindanao. A division of Universal Motors Corporation (UMC), BAIC’s Philippine distributor Bayan Automotive Industries Corporation (Bayan Auto) was launched almost three years ago at the 2014 Philippine International Motor Show.
The new showroom stands in the country’s premier business district at 2232 Don Chino Roces Avenue in Makati City. The two-storey building has 1,200 square meters of floor-space featuring a 12-vehicle street-front showroom, a plush customer lounge, multiple sales offices, an after-sales services reception area, and the executive suites. Well attended by business partners, customers, members of the motoring press, and by BAIC global brand dignitaries, the inauguration was officiated by Mr. George Chua, president and CEO of BAIC Philippines, and was graced with the participation of Dr. Haiyang Dong, president and CEO of BAIC International Development Co., Ltd..
The event was a milestone in many ways with Mr. Chua saying, “close to 3 years ago when we first introduced the BAIC Brand in the Philippines … we were confident that with the long and strong history of UMC and partnership with the dynamic and global outlook of BAIC, failure was not an option.” Adding to the significance of the occasion, Dr. Dong revealed that, “the Philippines is a key market and a potential hub to service the ASEAN market.”
Mindful focus on Euro 4, lowest taxed haulers
“Establishing a new brand is indeed a challenge and doing so in a highly competitive market like the Philippines requires more than experience, financial resources and luck,” says Mr. Chua. “We realize that for us to succeed we must have the right product at the right price.”
Citing the county’s clean air act which mandates January 1, 2018 as the deadline for all new vehicles to be Euro 4 compliant, and the tax reform program that calls for a significant increase in vehicle excise taxes, Mr. Chua observed that these make “ownership of new vehicles more difficult and possibly out-of-reach for many of our countrymen.”
With these compelling factors in mind, BAIC Philippines has officially launched their Bayanihan H5 cab and chassis and Freedom compact truck, both with SRPs that put these squarely in the lowest taxed tier of the new vehicle excise tax structure. The Bayanihan H5 is the only model in the light truck category that offers a ton-and-a-half of payload on a roomy 10-foot rear deck and is powered by an up-to-date Euro 4 compliant turbodiesel. The Bayanihan H5 lists at P598,000 in basic cab-and-chassis form with built up variants that will feature dropside flatbed, aluminum van and passenger rear bodies—the last, also with an option for dual-type air-conditioning.
Completing BAIC Philippines’ small hauler line-up is the new Freedom offered in pickup truck layouts with a dropside flatbed cargo bed in back and either a single- or double-cab up front. SRP for the single-cab variant is P458,000, the double-cab’s is P488,000. With its Euro 4 compliant 94hp and 115Nm 1.4L gasoline engine, and almost a ton of payload, the Freedom offers surprisingly mainstream capabilities yet at competitive prices. And the double-cab variant in itself is a rare enough offering in the light truck category, at least as far as new vehicles are concerned. In Mr. Chua’s estimation, these features put together make the Freedom, “the affordable, smart man’s pickup!”
More to come from BAIC
Mr. Chua reveals that, in addition to the Bayanihan H5 light truck and Freedom compact truck, BAIC Philippines is looking to introduce a new model among their MPV offerings. Although other details are still under wraps, Mr. Chua says the distinction of the new multi-purpose-vehicle vis-a-vis their popular M20 MPV will be an automatic gearbox for driving convenience in the country’s notorious traffic jams.
The Freedom measures around 4.5m in length (the single-cab at 4.400m, the double at 4.565m), much longer than the 3.8m of the Suzuki and Tata models. This up-sizing translates into greater capacity with the Freedom having payloads of 990kg on the single-cab variant and 905kg on the double. At close to one ton of payload, the Freedom brandishes a significant margin over the 735kg of the Super Carry and the 800kg of the Ace. The Freedom’s cargo bay is much longer, to the tune of more than 0.3m when comparing single-cab variants. On the double-cab variant, the cargo bay is similarly longer than those on sporty mid-size double-cab pickups.
A surprising plus: the Freedom mounts a Euro 4 compliant 94hp 1.4L Suzuki K14B-A engine (from the same, well-proven series that powers the Suzuki Ertiga MPV and Ciaz sedan). That Suzuki mill hasn’t been outsourced but manufactured in-house instead, and legitimately, by the Freedom’s original manufacturer. Coming to this market by way of the global BAIC Group of China, the Freedom is manufactured by Jiangxi Changhe Suzuki Automobile Co. (Changhe), the light commercial vehicle manufacturer that’s in a joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. Changhe became a subsidiary of the BAIC Group in 2013 when the big conglomerate acquired 70% controlling stake. (In the China domestic market, the model is differently branded but similarly badged as the Changhe Freedom Mini-Truck.)
And, finally, that double-cab option on the Freedom is a game-changing rarity in its category (not counting those on small, surplus multi-cabs). With the option for sedan-like seating for five passengers combined with her close to mainstream dimensions and full-grown engine (an engine that’s aircon-ready, no less), the Freedom stands an excellent chance of becoming widely accepted as a common family pickup truck. Not like the high-riding and sleeked-up pickups from the big brands that figured in the truck wars last year, but something that’s less sport and more utility, something that’s more of a truck. Sure, the Freedom is less pretty, more of your money invested in function, damned little of it in form, but that also speaks to character, makes a fair statement about the owner, doesn’t it?
She’s aptly named and could’ve been badged either as the Transporter or the Commuter–that’s how optimized she is for the people-mover role.
The family found a solution, a system that objectified the process, replacing servile help with servo mechanics. The Carony wheelchair system offered a way to automate their mother’s boarding and disembarking from a vehicle, turning it into a pushbutton affair, empowering her with the ability to push that button herself.
Fortunately, the family had the means but not the frivolousness to even consider such a course of action. Instead, with full appreciation of how the Carony wheelchair system could be as valuable to others as it was for them, they gave body to their conviction, incorporated PBC Car Adapt, and themselves became that elusive distributor that they needed to be here, in-country.
That’s an average of 11.25km/l and a cost of around P2.50 per kilometer. Not bad for all the use we got out of her.
The payWave system is asserted to be as secure as other NFC systems, the wireless handshake being so tight-beamed that it prevents unauthorized scans while the card remains in the hands of the cardholder, never having to be brought to a stationary swipe reader. Visa payWave cardholders stand to benefit from faster transactions as well with the elimination of traditional steps for card-swiping and signature or PIN authentication (only in instances where the transaction amount exceeds P2,000 will the cardholder need to sign or key in a PIN).
CPI country chairman Peter Morris said: “Motorists gassing up using Visa payWave will definitely be able to experience quicker service in our forecourts. Motorists can transact securely and with ease, knowing that they remain in control of their card at all times.” Morris added that, “to excite consumers to try our latest innovation, we’re also holding a promotion that’s sure to give added value to their fuel purchase.”