After the formal signing ceremony held last September with Mazda Motor Corporation (Japan), Berjaya Auto Philippines, Inc. officially begins its business operations in the country as the sole distributor of Mazda vehicles, parts, and accessories as of this month.

“Our success in Malaysia as the Mazda distributor gave us the confidence and experience to push forward in terms of expanding into ASEAN. Our business within this region is diverse, and this latest Mazda distribution business continues to build on the tremendous synergy across the group of companies. We have a team here comprised of professionals with regional and local experience,” said Dato’ Francis Lee, Executive Director of Berjaya Corporation Berhad.

Indeed, Mazda Motor Corporation firmly believes they have found a great partner to promote and grow the Mazda brand. To emphasize this new partnership, Berjaya Auto Philippines, Inc. sponsored Mazda dealers from the Philippines on a tour of Berjaya Corporation and Bermaz Motor (Bermaz is the Mazda distributor in Malaysia and is also a shareholder in Berjaya Auto Philippines) in Malaysia to experience the extent of the business diversity of the Berjaya Group as well as the success of the Bermaz operation in Malaysia. This boosted their confidence and established the credibility of Berjaya Auto Philippines as the right distributor in the eyes of the dealers.

“We have been planning the launch of Mazda under Berjaya Auto Philippines, Inc. since August last year—hiring and building a team, developing the business infrastructure and making a business plan,” said Mr. Steven Tan, the Chief Executive Officer of Berjaya Auto Philippines. “We are now ready. Last week, we shipped our first parts delivery to the dealers. The first batch of our cars will start to arrive at the port at the end of the month. Our dealers are ready to sell cars, and get the business running at full speed again,” he added.

After the delivery of new cars and parts to dealers, the next order of business for Berjaya Auto Philippines, Inc. is to expand the reach and accessibility of Mazda vehicle sales and after sales service to more locations. This entails additional investment from current dealers as well as the entry of new dealer partners. All in all, Berjaya Auto Philippines, Inc. is looking to add five to six new dealerships this year (some of these new locations are actually under construction already). Mazda’s new distributor believes that the Japanese automaker can establish a presence and delight the customers with their stylish, high-quality, and fuel-efficient vehicles.

Mr. Tan also promised that 2013 will be an exciting year for Mazda when car enthusiasts and buyers will see continued improvements in the brand’s products and service offerings to further highlight Mazda’s unique product and quality craftsmanship. Tan also hinted at a possible revamp of the entire Mazda product line-up within the next two to three years.

“Today is the re-birth of Mazda in the Philippines,” said Mr. Tan. “We have a good plan. We have a good team. The [Philippine] economy is robust and growing. We have excellent products,” he added.

Thanks to a new distributor in Berjaya Auto Philippines, Inc. as well as the promised slew of new product offerings, car buyers will undoubtedly hear more of Mazda and their new “KODO – Soul of Motion” design theme. In addition, the new distributors will continually communicate its new multi-award winning SKYACTIV Technology which offers excellent real-world fuel economy while improving vehicle performance and driving dynamics. With Berjaya Auto Philippines, Inc. now at the helm of Mazda’s business in the country, they will continue to create and implement plans to make Mazda a top-of-mind choice among Filipinos and provide them with the exhilarating driving experience the brand’s known for.