The Volkswagen brand has always been close to the Pinoy’s heart. It isn’t uncommon to hear of fond memories with either their family’s Beetle or Combi, or their escapades with their shiny Karmann Ghia. After a long absence in the local market, the Volkswagen brand returned to the Philippines in 2013 under the stewardship of the Automobile Central Enterprise INC. (ACEI) – the Ayala-owned company that was appointed as the sole VW importer for the country. Starting with only a few basic units during their launch, the brand currently has nine nameplates on offer, to fit their customers’ needs.
From the sole dealership located at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig when they first opened three years ago, the brand now boasts of seven more dealerships to service their customers, namely: Quezon City; Mandaluyong; Muntinlupa; Cebu; San Fernando; Iloilo City; and Bacolod City, with the last three opened in 2016.
Hand-in-hand with their expansion program, Volkswagen Philippines has proudly surpassed the 1,000-unit sales mark in their third year of operation. A total of 1,060 units were sold from January to December 2016, a 76-percent increase over its 2015 sales, and making them the Philippines’ best-selling European car brand in 2016.
Volkswagen Philippines’ overall sales performance was attained during a period when it expanded its dealership network and received 14 awards and citations for its various models and CSR efforts, most notably for its groundbreaking Child Safety Initiative campaign and the Passat’s win in the Car of the Year-Philippines in the Mid-Size Luxury Sedan category. The rest of the product lineup—from the iconic Beetle, large SUV Touareg, compact SUV Tiguan, multi-purpose vehicle Touran, to the Golf and Golf GTI, Polo sedan and hatchback, and Jetta compact sedan— also contributed to the overall achievement.
In 2016, a record-setting 359,572 new vehicles were sold across the country, according to the year-end report from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI). Volkswagen Philippines, envisions more room for growth in sales for European brands in 2017, as more car buyers become more financially empowered and subsequently look beyond price points to “level up” to the premium segments.
For more information on Volkswagen products and services, log on to www.volkswagen.com.ph.