Hyundai Asia Resources resigned from being a member to CAMPI

[leopaul]

What a shocker! According to Top Gear Philippines, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., the number one Hyundai distributor in the Philippines, behind the best Hyundai models all Filipinos love such as the Starex, Santa Fe, Tucson, and others, resigned from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers in the Philippines or CAMPI.

Why would they do that?! They're the number one Korean car brand in the Philippines thanks to the offering of the Philippine-favorite CRDi engine, why resigning as the member of CAMPI?

We, Filipinos, love Hyundai because of the Starex, Santa Fe, Tucson iX, YF Sonata, recently launched Accent RB, and coming to the Philippines this year is the new, fifth-generation, Elantra (Avante) MD. What do we do now if our favorite Korean car brand left CAMPI for good?

[Monseratto]

Too many cooks in the kitchen...

http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=23959

Split due to disagreements over gov’t perks -- Hyundai

HYUNDAI Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) -- the top motor vehicle importer in the country -- has withdrawn from an industry association because of a lingering dispute over how the national government should upgrade an incentive package, executives yesterday bared.

The local distributor of Korean automotive maker Hyundai Motor Co. would rather “pursue other interests and advocacies” without the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI), the officials said.

HARI’s departure from the industry chamber took effect on Dec. 31, legal and corporate secretary Zosimo N. Casihan, Jr. said in a statement.

This was after the car importer announced it had co-founded the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, a separate grouping which does not count as members locally based assemblers, unlike CAMPI which is open to all car firms.

The decision to bolt from CAMPI was due to “different advocacies” when it came to helping the government draft the new Motor Vehicle Development Program, HARI President and Chief Executive Officer Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo said in a text message, without elaborating.

The proposed government policy seeks to ensure that local car assemblers are competitive against importers by retaining the practice of granting income tax holidays for new or expanded factories and lowering excise taxes on Philippine-made vehicles.

The Board of Investments, which administers the motor vehicle incentive scheme, is considering granting perks anew to local assemblers of Asian Utility Vehicles or AUVs such as Isuzu and Mitsubishi to carve a niche in the region.

Ms. Perez-Agudo, who also heads the importers group, had earlier opposed government moves to grant more incentives to local assemblers if it came at the expense of firms like HARI.

Other members of the importers group -- Scandinavian Motors Corp. which sells Volvos, Focus Ventures, Inc. which distributes cars under the Chinese brand Chana, and Chevrolet dealer The Covenant Car Company, Inc. -- have also been reported to have left CAMPI, which is headed by Elizabeth H. Lee of Universal Motors Corp., an assembler of Nissan vehicles.

Officials of the other members of the group of car importers could not be immediately reached to comment.

Focus Ventures, however, had said it could turn into a local assembler itself if domestic sales went up significantly.

HARI, for its part, has yet to announce plans to make its vehicles here despite figuring as the industry’s third top seller after local assemblers Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.
The car firm sold 18,696 units until end-November, up 84% from year-ago levels, it said in yesterday’s statement.

The distributor of Hyundai vehicles is expecting sales to have reached 20,000 units for 2010, a 90% increase from the previous year, earlier reports show.

This is faster than the 28% growth forecast of CAMPI for the entire automotive industry. -- Jessica Anne D. Hermosa

[tidus1203]

Its natural for the government to help MANUFACTURERS like Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda and Ford who create jobs HERE and not merely just import like Hyundai...

Just my speculation though, its something else... Although this dispute with government incentive is one reason its not the main reason... Again just speculating...

[Monseratto]

More than meets the eye...

http://cocktales.ph/?p=2542

Richard gets more Lee-way January 5,2011

THE biggest open secret in the motoring industry has finally been confirmed.

Elizabeth Lee of Universal Motors issued a statement Monday admitting that the distributors of Chevrolet, Hyundai and Volvo “which are owned by the same family” have left the Lee-led Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines.

What the charming Campi president did not say is that the “same family” refers to her uncle Richard Lee, who parted ways, apparently bitterly, with the rest of the Lees in mid-2010 “to pursue personal interests.”

Those interests, it is now clear, include not only building up three brand distributors that will not only compete with his sibling’s Universal Motors Corp., but also establishing an industry association outside of Campi.

And, to rub salt on the family injury, Richard Lee has been showering an eye-popping package on his new president of Hyundai dealership, Fe Agudo.

Not only did Lee give Agudo a bullet-profit Chevrolet Suburban for her daily drive, Lee also provided Agudo free housing in Dasmariñas Village.

The Agudo house is said to be even bigger than the house that Richard Lee built for his Chinese wife.

[numbah5]

Grabe naman yang balita na yan. Parang pinapalabas na kabit si Ms. Fe Agudo ni Mr. Richard Lee.

Napakaraming rason siguro kung bakit iniwan ng HARI ang CAMPI. Lalabas at lalabas din ang mga yun. Pero SANA maging local assembler na rin ang HARI dito para mas mura na mga vehicles nila or same price pa rin pero more features na, at par with their KDM counterparts

[tidus1203]

Bad news na lang siguro is no more Hyundai cars in the CAMPI PIMS next year...

[Starex_Gold]

Grabe naman yang balita na yan. Parang pinapalabas na kabit si Ms. Fe Agudo ni Mr. Richard Lee.

Napakaraming rason siguro kung bakit iniwan ng HARI ang CAMPI. Lalabas at lalabas din ang mga yun. Pero SANA maging local assembler na rin ang HARI dito para mas mura na mga vehicles nila or same price pa rin pero more features na, at par with their KDM counterparts

Masyado pa kasi maliit ang HARI para gumawa ng planta dito sa Pilipinas..

Nag text nga ako sa employee ng HARI, tinanong ko kung bakit.. Ang sagot ba naman eh... "To focus on brand building?"

Possible rin :question:

--------

Sa MIAS sure yan may display pa ang HARI. Pero sa PIMS siguro mawawala na.. CAMPI ata ang may hawak ng PIMS eh..

[tidus1203]

In general mahina parin ang Hyundai sa South East Asia kaya wala paring planta in the ASEAN region...

[Starex_Gold]

OT: Nabasa ko sa Top Gear, umabot ng 20K ang total sales ng HARI nung 2010

Dapat lang eh ayus ayusin na nila yung supply ng Tucson.

[hondaboot]

what's the advantage of being with CAMPI? Kia is not with CAMPI. if both of Korea's top cars are out of CAMPI, baka mas okey pa

[petixs]

Talk about "scandal" and mud slinging if you read between the lines

I was able to meet the Lee's Richard, Edmund and Elizabeth more than decade ago at the first locally assembled Volvo "celebration" at their then new plant in Sta. Rosa (SMII, as a replacement to their Unionized UMC plant). Very "Elitist" in my opinion and the kind of drama they have now would make for a very good tele novela.

[tidus1203]

what's the advantage of being with CAMPI? Kia is not with CAMPI. if both of Korea's top cars are out of CAMPI, baka mas okey pa

Advantage is obviously improved lobbying on the government... But CAMPI being a MANUFACTURER's group its obvious they are asking government to give advantage for manufacturers and not extend the same on importers usually using job creation and investment as an excuse for those benefits...

HARI and Columbian being just mere importers will not benefit with these and might get disadvantage if government gives manufacturers an advantage like tax breaks etc etc...

[drift_rich]

what's the advantage of being with CAMPI? Kia is not with CAMPI. if both of Korea's top cars are out of CAMPI, baka mas okey pa

Kia Motors is a Campi member. Other non-CAMPI members include Subaru, Land Rover and Jaguar.

[lowslowbenz]

The Lee family is a very big conglomerate ... and they have business interests almost everywhere .. automotive manufacturing/retailing is just one.

MaFe Agudo represents the new generation of Lee management, while Beth Lee represents the older (conservative/cautious) side of the Lee family. I've been formerly working for UMC and HARI, enough to know every bit of juicy secret.

It's sad to see catfights..

[sachiel]

Well, first priority will always be local manufacturers because it is essential for the economy. More jobs means more money, more money means more spending, more spending means more economic activity, more activity means more opportunities for Filipinos to become rich. It's the reason why we're lagging behind in ASEAN. Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam all have perks for local manufacturing and demand for cars keep increasing in their countries.

They can still make perks for imports like JPEPA but it shouldn't be in conflict with local industries. Philippines can make one with Korea if they wanted to.

[armscor40]

to summarize the conflict:

local manufacturers/assemblers vs importers

investment is huge w/ high employment opportunities, perks, incentives, benefits, tax breaks from the government

vs

small/medium business capital, limited employment kaya benefits (meron ba?) from the government is not felt becoz of their unit's high prices ng mga importers and the risk of maintaining stability based on sales performance is still being considered...