‘Dare to drive big’
The motto is almost like a challenge more than a come on. But considering that the company behind it is owned and backed by an actual superpower and is the sixth largest state-owned automobile manufacturer in China, BAIC can dare us to “drive big,” considering they have been around since 1958 and now offers a “daring” line up of SUVs and off-roaders at par with the best of the west.
For those of you who may have heard or seen a BAIC SUV around town or on the highway, BAIC stands for Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. Formerly known as the Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation.
Last Thursday Sept. 19, BAIC Philippines, through United Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI), the official distributor of the BAIC brand of SUVs and crossovers, launched its first local hybrid offering and its most attainable off-roader yet, the BAIC B30e Dune. Following the tire tracks of its bigger B40 Ragnar, B60 Beaumont and B80 Wagon siblings, the new BAIC B30e Dune Hybrid immediately got the attention of many off-roading and camping enthusiasts.
There was a time when only America and Europe could brag about manufacturing the best vehicles in the whole world. Back then the US and Europe even got into trade wars and feuds over import restrictions. But such advantages don’t last forever. Japan eventually caught on, learned fast and soon enough we began to hear, see and buy “Made in Japan.”
It did not take long for Japanese vehicles to dominate the world market while the western manufacturers scrambled to find ways to compete against Japanese efficiency and costs. That was how America and Europe ended up collaborating with the “factory of the world” – China.
They probably thought “why buy the cow when you can just buy the milk” and before long, China ended up owning the cows or, in this case, various technologies, designs and equity if not ownership of well-known vehicles. But China did not stop at being other countries’ factory, China soon the acquired knowledge and started with what people labeled as copycats until they eventually developed what we would now call clones or better versions of iconic vehicles.
When Chinese brands entered the Philippine market, the come on used to be low
