Re-igniting the passion for Chevy

When General Motors Southeast Asia Operations appointed a new company two years ago to be the exclusive importer and distributor of Chevrolet automobiles and parts in the Philippines, people were bemused by the choice of its corporate name: The Covenant Car Company, Inc. or TCCCI.  It is rare for the importer/distributor of an automotive brand to not use its own brand in incorporating and opening for business.

MARTIN Apfel, president of General Motors for Southeast Asia Operations, join TCCCI’s chair Richard Lee, managing director and chief operating officer lawyer Albert Arcilla and executive director Selene Yu at the Orlando launch

While the word “covenant” has a rather formal and staid connotation, the ultimate goal of TCCCI was anything but.  From Day 1, TCCCI set out to re-ignite the Filipino passion for Chevrolet, not only by drawing on memories of the days when Chevys like the Bel Air and Impala roamed the streets of Manila — while the Corvette and Camaro were the sports cars  youngsters dreamed of — but also by launching exciting new Chevrolet global models like the Cruze and the Spark.

In this mission to revive the Filipino’s love for the iconic American brand, TCCCI is led by lawyer Alberto Arcilla as president and managing director and Lyn M. Buena as marketing services director.  Arcilla brought to TCCCI 15 years of experience in the auto industry, most recently as president and CEO of Viking Car Corp., the importer and distributor of Volvo cars.

Eventful

2011, the second year of TCCCI’s business operations, was an especially eventful one as Chevrolet celebrated its 100th anniversary worldwide.  Looking back, Arcilla says, “We had a year full of activities and significant achievements, the Chevrolet Cruze having been the recipient of the prestigious Philippine Car of the Year 2010-2011 Award while the Chevy Spark made an impressive entrance in the latter half of the year with its robust sales and market performance.”

Last April, TCCCI launched the Chevy 5-year warranty plan which Arcilla claims is solid proof of their confidence in the quality and workmanship of each vehicle that they release to the public.  “Our goal is to increase the trust in the Chevrolet brand and make people realize how much quality and engineering come with our products, and how satisfied and proud they will be in owning one,” he asserted.

ARCILLA and TCCCI marketing director Lyn Buena at the Centennial Launch event in Switzerland

TCCCI’s marketing efforts are paying off as indicated by the 33.5 percent increase as of November YTD (year to date) 2011 wherein sales registered 2,434 over 1,823 units in the same period of 2010.  Furthermore, TCCCI was proclaimed No. 1 for after-sales service and overall customer satisfaction by the J.D.Power & Associates Customer Satisfaction Survey in the Philippines.

Gained

In 2011, aside from the Spark, TCCCI introduced the Cruze diesel, the Traverse full-size luxury crossover and the Orlando, a seven-seater multipurpose vehicle.  So far, the Spark has gained 13.1 percent segment share in the mini PC (passenger car) market.  In the Low-Medium PC segment, the Cruze achieved 15.3 percent share or second overall in the segment until October.  At present, the Cruze is in third overall position in that segment.

With the arrival of these four new offerings in 2011, TCCCI  has broadened its range of  choices for customers from the smallest – the Spark – to the biggest – the Suburban.  In between are the Aveo subcompact, the Captiva diesel compact  SUV, the Cruze gasoline and diesel passenger sedan, the Traverse large luxury SUV, the Orlando MPV and the Camaro sports car.  Due to be launched in February 2012 is the Colorado diesel pickup truck.

This year, to sell the wider variety of models, TCCCI opened four new Chevrolet dealerships (Cebu, Otis Manila, North Edsa and Greenhills Edsa)  and appointed four new dealer-partners (Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Commonwealth and Nueva Ecija), bringing TCCCI’s total dealer partners to 20 from only 12 in 2010.

Covenant

THE Chevy Spark

Also in 2011, TCCCI joined 343 other companies in the Integrity Initiative of the European Chamber of Commerce, American Chamber of Commerce, Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines. Explaining this Corporate Social Responsibility project, Arcilla said: “The management team made a conscious decision that we would be a car company in covenant with God and community. By covenant, we mean that we made a commitment to do what is right, not just in the business of selling cars, but in enriching the lives of those in our community and being instruments of positive change in our country.”

Taking all the above into account, it looks like Chevrolet became one of the fastest growing automotive brands in the Philippines this year.   “This passion for the brand.” Arcilla says, “paved the way for Chevy’s positive performance despite the negative industry growth and made it possible for us to achieve this year’s accomplishments and numerous recognitions.”