Aside from exempting luxury vehicles and vehicles made from certain countries, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has confirmed that Electric Vehicles or EVs are exempt from the upcoming safeguard tariff as well.
The safeguard tariff, filed by the Philippine Metalworkers’ Alliance, and subsequently found with merit by the DTI slaps an additional P 70,000 in duties for passenger cars, and P 110,000 for light commercial vehicles. This is expected to put a dent on the automotive industry’s recovery this year which was badly hurt by the pandemic in 2020.
This new development which exempts EVs was revealed as Society Adviser and current eVAP President Edmund Araga, and Society President and Philippine Parts Maker Association (PPMA) President Ferdi Raquelsantos joined to form the country’s first-ever dedicated EV group: the EV Owners Society.
For her part, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo had this to say: “It’s been a long time coming. Globally, Hyundai has been leading the charge in commercializing new energy vehicles, while HARI is one of the first local car companies to introduce EVs to the Philippine market. We welcome and support this development.”
HARI, the country’s distributor of Hyundai vehicles, joins fellow advocates of the newly-formed EV Owners Society to recharge interest in electric mobility in the country.
The EV Owners Society, the sub-group of electric vehicle owners formed by the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), aims to bring together private EV owners and other industry stakeholders to discuss and advance the future of the local EV market.
HARI debuted the full electric variants of the Ioniq hatchback and the Kona crossover at the 2019 Manila International Auto Show (they have subsequently removed them from their official price list since then, though).
In August 2020, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) launched the Ioniq sub-brand for its line of customer-centric electric vehicles.
“We join the EVAP in seriously looking beyond our current situation,” added Ms. Agudo. “The pandemic will pass but environmental concerns are here to stay. Hyundai’s EV lineup is out to help create a better future for all by making these technologies accessible to a greater number of people.”
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