Newly-appointed Maxus Philippines General Manager Jun Cajayon says the LCV-centric brand is targeting to grow its annual sales from around 200-plus sales in 2020 to a thousand units this year. This five-fold increase already takes into account the impending DTI safeguard tariff.

So far, the best performers for the Maxus brand are the G10 MPV, T60 pickup truck, and G50 MPV. However, they see that the D60 has the potential to become one of their top-sellers. With that, Cajayon confirms that around a hundred units of the D60 were already brought in prior to the official launch. This means that these D60 units are not affected by the DTI’s measure which may raise prices as much as P 110,000.

After the D60, Maxus will focus its attention on launching potentially four additional models this year. The Ayala-backed auto brand hasn’t given any indications as to what these products might be, but Cajayon hinted that one could be a higher variant of its just-launched compact SUV which is slated to arrive by the middle of the year. The others, due towards the tail end of 2021 might include the 7-seater D90 pickup-based SUV (see lead photo).

Maxus Philippines’s strong product push will also mean that they will expand their dealership network. Five new dealerships will rise in 2021, adding to their current roster of eight.

And as their presence grows, Cajayon says they are doubling-down on their aftersales service efforts with their five-point “Vehicare Program” now being rolled out across their dealership network. This includes a 5-year / 100,000-kilometer warranty, a 5-year free emergency roadside assistance, a robust parts management system with five months of available spare parts, home service or pickup/delivery service, and finally, a promise of low cost of maintenance—up to 22 percent lower than other brands over five years.