The local vehicle market has changed.
In the past two weeks, two of the country’s well-known car dealerships, Lafast Motors and Southern Sales, acknowledged there is high competition in the local market as a result of new players in the industry.
Trinidad and Tobago’s roads, long dominated by names like Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi, are now seeing a surge of newer names.
They include: Aion, BYD, Foday, Foton, GWM, MG, GAC Motor, Riddara and Omoda & Jaecoo.
The Chinese revolution on T&T’s roads is here. However, while there is a visible impact on the nation’s carriageways, data concerning the number of sales is incomplete. An industry insider noted that several new Chinese vehicles on the market are not being reported in the Industry Report.
Some of those brands include GWM, Aion, GAC and Chery.
In June, the Business Guardian reported that four new dealers had introduced Chinese vehicles to the market in the space of two months. Days after that article was published AM. Marketing Co. Ltd. introduced another via the Foday F-22 pickup truck.
One company pushing this revolution is Evolve Mobility, which launched in December. The company offers several Chinese vehicles: the Leapmotor C10, BYD Sealion 7, GAC Aion V Luxury, GAC Aion Y Plus Premium, GAC Aion ES, Wuling Cloud, GAC Hyptec HT and Denza D9.
Vinda Barran, the general manager of Evolve Mobility, explained that the surge in competition has seen the company take an interactive approach.
“As Evolve Mobility approaches its first year of operations, we are pleased with the progress the company has made, particularly within an increasingly competitive automotive market where a growing number of Chinese electric vehicle brands are being introduced into T&T,” he said.
“We recognise that Evolve is not yet the size of some of the country’s traditional automotive dealerships, so our approach has been deliberately different. Rather than relying solely on customers coming into a conventional showroom, we have focused on taking the vehicles directly to consumers.”
Barran explained the company entered into a partnership with Xtra Foods to host pop-up events on Saturdays, which would allow potential customers to view the cars in the company of their families.
He said, “That family element has actually proven very important. Purchasing a vehicle is often a household decision, and instead of someone having to take time away from work to visit a showroom and then return with their spouse or family, everyone can see and experience the vehicle together. We have found that this helps customers make more informed decisions much faster.”
However, it is not just the relative newcomer that has had to shift its approach to reach new customers.
Two weeks ago, LaFast Motors and Spectra Motors, the local distributors of major international brands such as BMW, Mini and BYD as well as emerging brands Foton and Omoda Jaecoo, hosted The Boss’s Event,
The brands’ representatives explained that the three-day event, which has the dealers reduce prices on many of those vehicles, was done in response to trends seen in the local market.
BMW sales representative James Ramatali said, “We’ve seen a lot of competition in the market, and BMWs have always been a dominant brand, so this is something that we’re trying to get a bit more cars out in this third quarter and close off in a strong year.”
Lafast officials noted that many new dealerships and roll on roll off importers had introduced cars that previously would have only been available through the authorised local dealer.
Ramatali added, “Aside from the growing competition that we’re dealing with, we’re also seeing a lot of popularity in our cars, whether it’s import or some other way they get in a vehicle. BMWs are known to always be the best when you get them straight from the authorised dealer, so we’re trying to get that out there more and face up to the competition, whether it’s the other brands or the imported grey markets.”
However, it was explained that these dealers may bring in the cars, but often do not support them. Ramatali explained that the Boss’ Event also served to encourage the public about features and support offered by authorised distributors of these brands.
“We’re offering you a service package on the vehicle ,” Ramatali said in an interview with the Business Guardian ahead of the Boss’s Event.
Barran noted that while Evolve had sold 26 vehicles to date, it had earned customers due to its expertise in servicing EV models.
“One of the areas we are particularly encouraged by is the growth of our after-sales business. During the same period, our service centre has serviced 18 electric vehicles, many of which were not originally purchased from Evolve Mobility. That is an important part of our business model,” he explained, “We do not believe a customer should be turned away from receiving technical support simply because an EV was purchased elsewhere. Our position is that if we have the technical capability and equipment to support that vehicle, we should be willing to assist.”
He said this has ultimately helped the young company gain new customers.
As for the public’s opinion with regard to Chinese vehicles, Barran explained the fact that the Asian country had taken the lead in EV innovation had helped spur its growth on our shores.
“The global automotive industry has changed considerably, particularly with the rapid development of electric vehicles,” He said, “China has become the world’s largest EV manufacturing hub, and that scale has allowed Chinese manufacturers to advance very quickly in areas such as battery technology, vehicle software, safety systems, interior technology and production efficiency.”
He continued, “From a T&T perspective, however, Chinese EVs are still relatively new, and naturally there will be different opinions about them. There is also an important distinction to be made between vehicles produced primarily for China’s domestic left-hand-drive market and right-hand-drive models manufactured specifically for international markets such as ours.”
However, he felt the price point and the features also were part of the reason the local market had started to shift.
He said, “For the average consumer, I believe the biggest attraction ultimately comes down to value and convenience. Consumers are now able to access vehicles with features traditionally associated with much more expensive luxury brands—large infotainment displays, advanced driver-assistance systems, panoramic roofs, premium interiors, 360-degree cameras and extensive safety technology—without necessarily paying traditional luxury-car prices.”
Additionally, the growing acceptance of EVs in T&T has come as more have overcome initial concerns about range anxiety, which is the fear that the car will run out of power during a long drive. However, various dealers explained that T&T’s relatively small road network, as well as increasing access to charging stations, would largely make it difficult for EVs to face this problem.
