Ferrari, Maserati vroom into Philippine luxury car market

Got P18 million to spare for cruising in luxury along the streets of Manila, or maybe down south on the SLEX or up north on the NLEX? Ferrari or Maserati? Take your pick.   Ferrari and Maserati sports cars are expected to drive sales of luxury autos in the Philippines, according to distributor Autostrada Motore Inc.   Luxury car sales will grow 20 percent this year, Autostrada Motore chairman and president Wellington Soong said Thursday in an interview with GMA News Online.  

The propensity of businessmen for luxury cars, higher prosperity levels, and the entry of Ferrari and Maserati will grow sales this year, Soong added. Autostrada Motore opened its showroom and service center for Ferrari and Maserati in Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Thursday.   “There's always a market for luxury cars in the country,” noted Soong, who is also the Philippine distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover.   “Many Filipinos are becoming prosperous as successful entrepreneurs. For their success, wealthy businessmen reward themselves with a trophy, like a Ferrari,” he said.   “And the Philippines is a good market, that's why we're here,” said Herbert Appleroth, president and CEO of Ferrari Asia-Pacific.   After Japan, China is one of Ferrari’s biggest markets in Asia — but the Japanese market has reached plateau, according to the Ferrari official.   Autostrada Motore has allotted up to 10 units of Ferrari this year and 20-25 units of Maserati for the Philippines. As it takes six months to a year to order Italy’s premiere car brands, all of Autostrada Motore’s allotments are naturally pre-sold. Depending on the model, each Ferrari costs P18 million to P30 million.   The Ferrari 458 Italia and the Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale were introduced Thursday to the Philippines.   Only six to nine individual Filipinos are Ferrari owners and they bought their respective units abroad before Autostrada Motore's exclusive importation and distributorship was forged.     Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao reportedly owns the latest Ferrari 458 Italia.   Ferrari is a well-known sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy while Maserati is a luxury car brand from Modena, Italy.   The first Ferrari was sighted in the Philippines in 1952, according to the company’s Asia Pacific chief.   Ferrari is present in 58 countries, the latest being the Philippines, said Appleroth.   “We sold about 7,000 units of Ferrari last year. We grew 9.5 percent worldwide and 18 percent in the Asia-Pacific,” he added. — VS, GMA News