FINALLY, the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) is off and running, thanks mainly to Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP). Four Toyota parts suppliers had gotten the nod of CARS to proceed production in support of TMP’s vehicle commitment quota.
To those not yet in the know, CARS is the government’s breakthrough program to encourage car companies to produce a particular vehicle through a robust incentive totaling almost P27 billion in subsidies.
Aside from Toyota, Mitsubishi is the other approved car company to avail itself of the innovative CARS project with its Mirage entry model.
In TMP’s case, the best-selling Vios has been its chosen model for the six-year production period of at least 200,000 units from August 2018 to August 2024. According to my good friend Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat of Bulletin, Toyota’s four parts suppliers with their approved P1.2 billion worth of investments are Valerie Product Mfg. Inc. (P94.5 million), Technol Eight Phils. Corp. (P495.9 million), Manly Plastics Inc. (P520 million) and Toyota Boshoku Phils. Corp. (P167.2 million). They will produce, among others, body shell parts, consoles and door trims under the Body Shell and Large Plastics (BSLP) category.
Each of the four approved parts makers will manufacture a capacity equivalent to 230,000 vehicles over the six-year life of the Vios—backstopped by a P9-billion fiscal support. With TMP investing P1.98 billion, the combined outlay to include the parts suppliers’ inputs will total P3.26 billion in the CARS program.
The beauty of the CARS mission is to push for innovation, technology transfer, environmental protection and SME development, boosting industrial growth and creating more jobs.
With Toyota putting its foot forward this early, is Mitsubishi not far behind?
Sir John now in the Land of Sheep
DANNY “Sir John” Isla, the founding president of Lexus Manila in the company of incumbent Chairman Alfred Ty, is now in Auckland, New Zealand. He will stay there with his wife, Joy, testing the so-called waters, for three months.
They are not really strangers in the “Land of Sheep.” (I call it “Land of Sheep” because New Zealand has more sheep than its population of only 4 million.)
Their three children have been living there for years. One is a budding restaurateur. A son-in-law is with the New Zealand police force. The youngest son is building a career in photography.
By June, Danny and Joy will be back in Manila for a three-month vacation. Then back to Auckland again.
“We will go through the motions of New Zealand’s laws on migration,” Danny said, clarifying at the same time “that we are not yet totally sold on leaving our country for good.”
It is their kids that are coaxing them hard to relocate them to New Zealand.
“They were worried that we might get bored living there without doing anything,” Danny said just days before departure. “So, the other day, I received an e-mail from our children that they have set up a gathering involving New Zealand folks to be friends with us as soon as we are settled.”
For Danny, the “new” friends would mainly consist of—you guessed it right—golfers.
“They know my weakness,” Danny said, grinning from ear to ear.
How about Joy, as busy as a bee herself (she would leave several consultancy jobs, including at Unilever)?
“As sure as daylight, she’ll help in managing our daughter’s restaurant,” Danny said.
Their two children have homes quite far apart from each other. So, initially, the plan was for the house of Danny and Joy to be in the middle of their children’s houses.
“So that their traveling time in visiting us every Sunday would be essentially the same,” Danny said. “Para patas lang.”
As happens in most plans, theirs also went bust.
“For some reason, they got us a house near the house of one of our children,” Danny added.
It is what Danny calls “an incomplete house so that I’d do carpentry to make it whole.”
“Since New Zealand is first world,” Ray Butch “Elvis” Gamboa said to Danny, “power tools are a dime a dozen there, making it easy for you to complete your dream house to your ultimate satisfaction.”
“Hopefully, I could do it,” Danny said, raising his glass of Double Black Johnnie Walker. “I love carpentry since I was a kid.”
But will they live in New Zealand—ultimately?
“Everything is still up in the air,” Danny added.
I have it on good source that Danny, a former TMP senior vice president, has as an invitation to be shipped back to TMP anytime he wants to.
“Once he decides to come back to TMP, he will be most welcome,” said my source, who spoke on condition that I will not name him. “He will forever be an asset to the company.”
So there. Danny, DMI cum Sir John to his dear friends, is torn between two lovers: His children’s company in New Zealand or his old flame that is TMP.
Sir John, whichever you choose, you’ll not end up singing, “I’m a loser.” I trust you can work it out.
PEE STOP Ray Enano, the business editor of Manila Standard, drove home the Toyota Altis raffled off during the recent MVP Media Golf Cup at Manila Golf Club. Earlier, it was Inquirer sportswriter Marc Anthony Reyes who won the Toyota Vios raffled off during the SMC Media Cup at Wack Wack. Congrats, fellas!… My dear friend, Boyet Lim of Toyota Davao, relays the good news that his Rancho Palos Verdes buddies were Division champions in the just-ended PAL Seniors Interclub in Bacolod. Boyet says he is a proud honorary member of the highly respected Davao Eaglemasters—Joe Tesado, Joe Butsoy Taojo, Abe Dizon, Lito Dublan, Deo Cura, Elias Boy Arriba, Jun Serado and Team Captain Randy Cadiogan. Cheers!