Ferrari dealer in search of local partner for Davao branch

DAVAO CITY — Autostrada Motore, Inc., the official dealer of Ferrari cars in the Philippines, is looking for a local partner for its planned Davao distribution that is targeted by next year.

Ginia R. Domingo, managing director of Autostrada, said they want a partner that not only has financial capacity but a commitment to the brand.

“For a partner, you have to have a showroom and a facility for after-sales and warehouse for your cars. This is very common, but it needs a bigger investment because we have more expensive cars… If it’s a very high cost item it requires heavy capitalization… and I think more than the monetary investment is really the commitment to the brand,” Ms. Domingo said in an interview.

Last week, Autostrada brought and showcased four cars — one Ferrari Portofino and three Maserati — in Davao City, with the participants of the Davao Investment Conference 2019 among those invited to the event.

“We have a very warm welcome from the local community in Davao… We are so happy with the response… especially that it is our first time in Davao,” Ms. Domingo said.

Apart from Davao, she said they see a big potential for the automotive industry in the Mindanao market.

“The local business here has been doing pretty well,” she said.

In terms of sales, Ms. Domingo said one car per month is considered “good.”

“That is how specialized the market is. So one a month is 12 cars in a year, so when we get to 24, it’s really good. So far we are on track.”

Autostrada’s marketing campaign in Davao will be focusing more on the Maserati.

“The Maserati is a little easier to acquire because that, we have an inventory. The inventory is like a normal car sale. If we don’t have the preferred color then you wait for awhile, but otherwise it’s readily more available compared to a Ferrari,” Ms. Domingo said. — Maya M. Padillo