Why is Geely management not looking after its ASEAN customers
Geely has been in the Philipines since 2019 and did you know that Geely sold a total of 9,302 vehicles in Philippines in 2022 alone which was good enough to give Geely Philippines the 8th place in the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines’ (CAMPI) year-end sales rankings?
This figure was also an impressive 52 percent sales growth compared to the year before.
Since arriving in the Philippines, Geely made an impression with Filipino car buyers with the Coolray compact SUV (which is the Proton X50 in Malaysia).
The Coolray immediately won over local customers (just like in Malaysia), and was consistently at the top of its game and dominating its segment. To date, the Geely Coolray is still performing above and beyond market expectations.
This sporty Chinese crossover ended 2022 year with an impressive 4,370 units sold, which is a 36 percent sales jump compared to 2021.
Then in second position in Geely Philippines product lineup was the Okavango SUV (see pictured below) with 3,041 units sold and this was followed by Emgrand sedan which finds itself in third place with 1,458 units.
The Geely Azkarra (see picture below) also managed to sell 433 units in 2022.
The Azkarra entered the popular SUV market just months after the Coolray was launched. The Azkarra was introduced at a very difficult time when the country was placed under pandemic lockdown. The Azkarra (the Proton X70) became a popular choice for people looking for a bigger five-seater vehicle.
Now with this after sales issues running wild on social media with Geely customers in Philippines, the local brand guardian, Sokitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP) has just released a statement (shared below) promising a better customer experience. We wonder why Geely management has done the same in other markets.
However, it should be noted that the product issues experienced by two (2) Coolray customers are isolated incidents (Geely management remarked). One or two incidents does not automatically mean that the same will happen to all other Coolray customers.
What went wrong and went viral is the way the dealership handled the issues and this is where social media can make the issue look worse.
Lets not forget that even well known car brands in Malaysia are having after sales issues and this is not isolated and one off issues. Some brands have been having rising issues for years and they are still no resolved. This is why their sales have been low and consumer confidence lower even after all issues have been resolved.
This statement by Geely Philippines shows that they are working fast to reduce issues and take customer feedback seriously.
Meanwhile, Filipino car buyers will be welcoming the Geely GX3 Pro will be officially introduced to the local market by next week, Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP) confirmed.
This latest compact SUV will be powered by 1.5-liter petrol powered engine that can deliver up to 102 horsepower and 140 Newton-meters of torque. The basic engine is mated to a five-speed gearbox (in manual and automatic versions).
