MANILA, Philippines — Feast your eyes on the Philippine Utility Vehicle, or PhUV, the latest attempt from this island country's government to create a national car. To be priced at around $7,500, it is cheap, but is it any good?
The Philippines is a very small market, and most people can't afford a new car. There are several businesses in the country, especially around the city of Cebu, that specialize in converting used Japanese vans into pickup trucks. Public transportation is partly handled by jeepneys, minibus-like contraptions with fiberglass bodies. Seven-seat closed light commercial vehicles are popular here and all over Southeast Asia. Assembly operations here by Toyota, Ford and some other companies exist, but with small output numbers.
The Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (MVPMAP) last year launched the local production project that has led to the creation of this utility vehicle. Dreamco, the local assembler of Chinese Foton trucks, provided the chassis and a 2.1-liter diesel engine from China, and hundreds of local companies submitted other bits and parts.
The finished prototype was unveiled at the 109th Independence Day Festival here earlier this week. It appears sturdy but behind 21st-century standards in the quality department. MVPMAP has high ambitions for local production, and Dreamco is all set to manufacture the PhUV. But there's no final word yet on the fate of this intriguing idea.
What this means to you: The efforts of Philippines entrepreneurs are laudable — but the PhUV looks dated before it gets onto the market and is unlikely to stand a chance against more accomplished competitors.
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