CEBU, Philippines - Barely a year of presence in the Philippine market, luxury car producer Lexus is pleased with the turnout of sales in the country despite the financial turmoil.
Lexus Manila Inc. marketing Specialist Carlo Chungunco said since they launched their showroom and models in January of this year, they have seen the anticipation of the public, especially their target market which covers the high-end market.
Initially ordering 13 units from their main office, Chungunco said that it was immediately sold out even before the units arrived since there were a lot of reservations made.
In Cebu, Chungunco said that they have already shipped three to four units for Cebu buyers and through the new authorized dealer they have here, they are looking forward in inviting more buyers in the local market.
At present, Chungunco said they sell 15 to 30 units per month, which he said is on their target of sales as for their starting goal.
Lexus has authorized Toyota Cebu to sell and service the Lexus units, which will be catering to the Visayas and Mindanao market said Chungunco.
He added that Toyota Cebu knows the Cebuano market more and they are in high spirits of how it could help attract more customers especially since Toyota already has their own set of luxury customers. Chungunco said that the marketing professionals and the technicians as well of Toyotas are already trained and knowledgeable on how to deal with the Lexus units.
Also, Chungunco said that their target market values the amount of money they spend unlike the other classes in the community.
He said that the market that they have which is generally composed of business owners and the high-level executives see the value for their money, or “value in general” and see that it is not just more on the performance and the looks but the practical use of the car on a day-to-day basis.
With their lowest price at P2.938 million and the most expensive pegged at P8.238 million, Chungunco said that their target market have continuously showed support in their brand and they are strengthening the campaign for their cars since Chungunco said that they see its steady position in the market.
“Given the recession, we are happy to see that the luxury market is remaining stable. It may be down with three to four percent but it’s not a big problem,” added Chungunco.
The Lexus RX350 is currently the best selling model according to Chungunco, which is priced at 4.208 million.
Aside from this, the other models of Lexus are the IS300, their entry level sport sedan priced at P2.9 million, the ES350 at P3.6 million, the GS460 at P5.3 million, LS570 at P7.2 million and the LS460 4-seater and 5-seater units that are at P7.2 million and P8.2 million respectively.
Chungunco said there buyers see the good value of their money as the cars not only are practical for day to day use but also promises of comfort for the owners with some of their model cars equipped with massaging seats, ample leg room and entertainment through DVD screens and MP3 and CD players.— AJ de la Torre