50 july 2019 http://www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
EXECuTIVE
PROFIlEDuring a media appreciation night in February this year, Volkswagen
Philippines introduced their new president, Felipe Estrella. Coming
from a background in finance, Estrella is a new face in the automotive
industry, and graciously sat down for a conversation with Gadgets’
Mobility consultant and automotive industry old-timer Arnel Doria.Estrella shared his vision as well as the challenges facing him as he
tries to build the Volkswagen (VW) presence in the highly competitive
Philippine automotive market. Here are the highlights of that
conversation:Our objective is to build the brand in the Philippines, to make VW more broadly
accepted among the Philippine motoring public, to get more customers to try
the VW cars and to experience what it’s like to own a VW. Basically, it’s a goal to
grow the business and to build a relevant participant in the Philippine automotive
industry.We’ve had a few transitions in terms of the products that have been available
onshore. Our existing product portfolio is relatively new—just over a year old, but
we’d like to bring in other products to address other segments of the market.
Our plan is to bring in more products at the right price point. Before, our products
were at the higher end of the pricing range, and that created an impression that
our products were more premium and perhaps suited only to a limited segment.
We’ve since recalibrated that and brought in more products that are more aligned
with the broader market of automotive buyers.We hope that people will discover that there’s a VW car that’s affordable, good
value, and that they can consider purchasing. Beyond that, we’d also like to be able
to offer the types of cars that consumers are looking for, beyond the ones we now
have.We are a new player in the market having more
than five years of presence here. It’s been a
while since VW was in the Philippines—almost
an entire generation, maybe even two, and
it’s our parents who were the last mainstream
consumers of a different set of VW products
back then. Since then VW—globally as a
brand and as a product—has evolved, and
the products that we’re experiencing now are
already the result of that evolution. So, we need
to reintroduce the brand to Filipinos, and I think
the challenge would be to let people learn
about VW cars and what VW has to offer.Felipe P. Estrella, Filipino, 49, is an Executive Director of
Ayala Corporation. He currently serves as the President of
Automobile Central Enterprises, Inc. (ACEI), the exclusive
importer and distributor of Volkswagen and Maxus
vehicles in the Philippines. He is also the President of
Iconic Dealership, Inc. (IDI), which operates dealerships of
Volkswagen, Kia, and Maxus in the Philippines.He is concurrently the Chief Finance Officer for AC Industrial
Technology Holdings, Inc. (AC Industrials), the parent
company of ACEI and IDI and a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Ayala Corporation (AC). AC Industrials is Ayala’s holding
company for businesses in electronics manufacturing, solar
technologies, automotive design, tools, and components,
automotive sales and distribution, and motorcycle
assembly and distribution. Among the portfolio companies
of AC Industrials are Integrated Microelectronics, Inc.
(IMI), Merlin Solar Technologies, Inc., and MT Technologies
GmbH. Under the AC Motors brand, AC Industrials imports
and distributes Volkswagen, Maxus, and Kia vehicles, has a
nationwide footprint of dealerships for Volkswagen, Maxus,
Honda, Isuzu, and Kia vehicles, and assembles, distributes
and exports KTM motorcycles.Mr. Estrella joined the Ayala Group in 2010 and formerly
served as the Head of AC’s Corporate Finance and Asset
Management Group until the end of 2018. Prior to that
assignment, he was the Head of the Financial Planning &
Analysis unit of AC.Before joining the Ayala Group, he worked in various
capacities for SGV & Company, East West Bank, and Citibank
in the Philippines, as well as JP Morgan Chase & Co. in New
York, USA.He obtained his B.S. Business Administration degree from
the University of the Philippines and his Masters in Business
Administration degree from Columbia University in New
York, USA.Felipe Estrella
President, Volkswagen Philippines
GOALS
THE VW PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
CHALLENGES