Deepal Chongqing Experience

It was one of my cherished trips to China that I would like to do again if given the opportunity to do so. I’m referring to that recent Philippine Core Media Changan Tour of which I am one of the 14-man delegation of the Autohub Group of Companies, headed by its president Willy Tee-Ten who recently signed as the official distributor of the incoming Deepal brand in the Philippines.

The 5-day official to Chongqing, the headquarter of Changan (the maker of Deepal vehicles), was an exhilarating experience of tasting what the place had to offer and closely seeing the Deepal vehicle lineup that will be gracing the local auto scene soon.

There was another Philippine group formed by the Changan Philippines who was with us during the 5-day whirlwind tour. The Willy Tee-Ten Autohub group was also 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, and Mary Jane Laquindanum. They were a mix from media, banks, and dealer principals.

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.

Deepal Philippines, set up by the Deepal International and the AutohubGroup, 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. The Chinese car factories have come a long way since our first visit in the Wuhu province more than 18 years ago. Car factories back then were full of workers, young and old, but the transformation was truly stunning through the years as mechanical robots have already substituted their human counterparts in almost 90 percent of the production line. Most of the human workers can be seen through last stages of the production as they inspect the finally assembled cars and drive them through the water-testing facility nearby. 

On the third day, we were herded 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. 

Thanks to Autohub Group of Willy Tee-Ten, we were the first to take a peak at the exciting Deepal vehicles that are sure to fire up the Philippine auto market soon!