Interview by Kap Maceda Aguila
VELOCITY: We’ve been hearing about how Jetour wants to grow its market internationally, and that it’s one of the leading brands in China. What’s the percentage of sales coming from overseas versus domestic?
KEVIN XU: We now have a seven-year history, and our growth has been very fast. We started to develop international markets almost immediately. Right now, almost a third of our sales volume comes from our overseas market.
In April of 2023, we visited Wuhu where we saw Jetour vehicles rolling out of Chery production lines. Is that still the case?
We now have Jetour-dedicated plants in Fuzhou; in Kaifeng, Henan; Bekasi, West Java; Kaliningrad, Russia, and others.
How would you differentiate the market of the Jetour X series versus the T series? What demographic or customers are you looking at for the two of them?
For the Jetour product strategy, we have two categories. The X series are family SUVs, including the X70, X90, Dashing, and X50. The second category is comprised of the T series — off-road SUVs which include the T1, T2, and even the future T5 and T7 models.
The Philippine market today features many China-headquartered auto brands. How is Jetour being positioned to stand out versus the competition? What do you want the market to know about Jetour?
Yeah, yeah. I understand there are so many Chinese brands there now. For Jetour, we want to build up a reputation for having world-class hybrid off-road SUVs. That’s what we want to be known for.
China is high on new energy (or electrified) vehicles. It seems that Jetour is starting to push for the PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) format, although we know you also have the Ice Cream battery electric vehicle. What’s the outlook like for the Philippines?
We will provide the products to meet customer requirements. I think our product strategy is always being driven by customer needs. So firstly, we think about off-road SUVs as our main area, followed by hybrid off-roaders. I understand also that the Philippine government still has the incentives like tax reduction for PHEVs. So you could say that we will adapt to customer requirements, followed by the governmental regulation.
Are you surprised that the T2 is the top seller in the in the Philippines? It used to be the Dashing, correct? And why do you think T2 is very popular among Filipinos?
Actually, we launched T2 in April (last) year, and we think it’s a very successful model because of the driving and handling performance and even its unique design — the boxy styling. Another unique feature is the higher ground clearance. I understand that few months ago, there was a heavy flood. The T2’s 220-millimeter ground clearance is a certainly a draw.
Last question: When can we see the T1 in the Philippines?
I believe it’s coming soon, but still I think we need to have the product strategy, step by step. We just launched X50 compact SUV at the Philippine International Motor Show, and hopefully we can introduce to you the T1. But we don’t want to rush for this model. Okay, I need the customers to digest the T2 and even X50. For the X70 Plus and the Dashing, we have some upgrades and modifications coming. So, I believe these models will bring a whole new experience to the customers.
I thought there was already a specific month, because I asked Mr. Ke (Jetour Auto International President) earlier during the press conference, and he said that we could expect it in 2025.
Yes, but I don’t want to provide a specific month because it’s still being confirmed.
