AC Industrial Technology Holdings Inc., a unit of Ayala Corp., launched Wednesday night the Maxus brand of vehicles in the Philippines.
Maxus became the sixth automotive brand under the technology holdings arm of Ayala Corp. The brand was acquired via Volkswagen to herald the entry of the Ayala Group into the highly competitive multi-purpose vehicle segment.
“This is a brand with a very long European heritage and with Volkswagen acquiring it, it goes local. This I think will complement all the product line-up we have under AC Automotives,” said Maxus brand general manager Reginald See.
Maxus gives owners the opportunity to use it as a shuttle or passenger service van, a cargo van, a tourist service van or simply a family vehicle at a cost of P1.2 million to P1.5 million.
The brand aims to sell up to 600 units for the first two models”•the nine-seater G10 and the 18-seater V80 transporter and cargo van which are now available at the Maxus showroom in Greenfields District, Mandaluyong City.
“We aim to double or even triple sales in 2020 after we already have a feel of the local market. This will be a growth that will surpass industry performance that grew at an average of 8 to 10 percent over the last 10 years,” said See.
China-made Maxus comes in as completely-built up unit. See said they were studying plans to assemble the vehicles in the Philippines under the authority of AC Industrials.
See said the company was optimistic about Maxus brand’s entry into the local automotive market.
“I don’t think there’s good timing or bad timing. As long as you have the right product and with the right support for that product, anytime would be good,” he said.
Maxus plans to put up more dealerships in the Bay Area, Quezon Avenue, and Cebu. It will appoint dealers across the country after the initial network was established.