The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
WHEN the invite comes from Willy Tee-Ten, the top honcho of the Autohub Group of Companies, to go on a business trip in one of his vehicle products abroad, you should be ready to say yes. All the 14-man delegation of Autohub had a great experience in that recent whirlwind trip to Chongqing, China to participate in the
5-day Philippine Core Media Changan Tour.
The trip came on the heels of the recent tieup between Autohub and Deepal, thepremium, independent electric vehicle brand under Changan Automobile, which is set to be introduced soon in the Philippine market soon. Autohub was appointed the exclusive Philippine distributor, establishing the foundation for the brand’s long-term development and market strategy in the country as the Autohub Group strengthens its push into next-generation mobility within the electrified vehicle space.
There was two Philippine delegation in that event composed of dealer principals, representatives from the banks and the media aside from that of the Autohub, and the other one from the Changan Philippines. The 14-man delegation from the Autohub, headed by its president Willy Tee-Ten, were composed of Mark Gabriel (who is set to be the Deepal Philippine general manager), Allen Patrick Pascual, Froilan Dytianquin, Jason Anthony Atienza, Jason Ang, Lawrence Bryan Lee, Zenaida Ong, Carl Moris Doria, Randy Peregrino, Joe Marc Tac An, Maris Danica Chua, Mary Jane Laquindanum, and this writer.
Now popularly known as a “Mountain City,” Chongqing, which was formerly under the auspices of Sichuan province, was formed into vibrant city by the early 2000s. It is a city of lights that is a major, fast-developing, direct-administered municipality in southwest China and located at the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. Next to Shanghai, this is another place in China that seems “to never sleep.” Local and foreign tourists are everywhere while restaurants and various tourist spots are all around. Just be prepared to walk a lot and prepare for a lot of fiery dishes everywhere since Chongqing is former Sichuan enclave.
Squeezed in our itinerary were the various trips around the whole place that included visits to the: Liziba Station, a world-famous, viral subway station that passes directly through a 19-story residential building; Jiefangbei Central Business District, a bustling, modern, and high-energy shopping area at the heart of the city,; and a Yangtze River Cruises, popular starting point for navigating the Yangtze and visiting the nearby Three Gorges.
But the main purpose of the trip was the quick immersion to the Changan main headquarter in Chongqing where the Deepal brand of vehicles are being manufactured. DeepalPhilippines, set up by the Deepal International and the Autohub Group, will soon be introduced to the Philippine market with a 3-vehicle lineup. The visit to the Changan Automobile Global R & D Center was a good peak to the several Changan and Deepal vehicles that are lined up for global introduction. Then we were herded to a nearby testing ground where we were able to see and drove the three Deepal vehicles intended for introduction in the Philippines soon – the Deepal G318, the Deepal 05, and the Deepal 07. Due to our insistence, the professional drivers handling the test drive allowed us to drive the said vehicles. All those who have tested them were awed and excited, especially when they were on the driver’s seat. Next stop that day after lunch was the visit to the nearby Changan Smart Factory SO5 Production Line where we saw how each vehicle were produced from start to finish.
On the third day, we were brought to the Chongqing Automobile Proving Ground, a 3-hour drive from our hotel where the three Deepal vehicles in real-life testing track for a test-drive and performance experience.
Aside from the immersion on the Changan manufacturing process, Willy Tee-Ten made it a point to squeeze in the trip to the various tourism spots of the region and even taste its popular delicacies.
Chongqing is the only Chinese city with a resident population of over 32 million and contains 26 districts, 8 counties, and 4 autonomous counties and it is one of the main sconnectionin the Yangtze River Economic Belt as its Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is the second-busiest airport in China. The city’s monorail system is the world’s longest and busiest, with 70 stations—the most of any system and it is the headquarters of the Changan Automobile, one of the “Big Four” car manufacturers in China
Chongqing food is part of Sichuan cuisine as it is known for its spicy food, normally considered numbing because of the use of Sichuan pepper, also known as Sichuan peppercorn.