2023 seems to be a year of change in the Philippine auto industry. A lot of people moved around the different brands, and quite a few brands have also changed hands.

Now there is another, and it involves Changan.

Inchcape Philippines and Changan International have just announced that they have announced a partnership that will see Inchcape become the new distributor of the Changan brand here.

“With global partnerships firmly embedded in Changan’s history, this agreement with Inchcape is a landmark step in Changan’s mission to pioneer auto culture and benefit human life,” said Tom Yin, Changan International General Manager. “In charting the future of mobility, Changan is focused on a new-energy strategy which counts the completion of three major new special energy platforms and the complete electrification of all products among its goals. Combined with Inchcape’s excellence in market expansion and distribution, it is our shared ambition that more Filipinos enjoy the lasting safety that Changan automobile can provide.”

Inchcape has been the big news as of late after having just come in to the Philippine market as a joint venture with the CATS Group of Companies wherein Inchcape has the controlling 60% stake while CATS has 40%. The appointment as Changan’s distributor means Inchcape expands its portfolio that already includes dealerships and/or distributorships of Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, Jaguar, Land Rover, as well as Mazda and Harley-Davidson.

“We are pleased to join hands with Changan, a leading OEM to distribute their extensive and high-quality vehicle portfolio in the Philippines,” said Alex Hammett, Inchcape Philippines Managing Director. “This is an exciting milestone for us as we see strong growth potential in the Philippines and opportunities for shared success with Changan. This is a great example of our strategy in action, accelerating the performance of our mobility company partners, and Inchcape being the automotive distributor of choice.”

There have been many rumors surrounding the state of the Changan brand in the Philippine market in the last few weeks and months. The previous distributor, Changan Motor Philippines, Inc. (CMPI) has been working to elevate the Changan brand here, but things have since become very quiet after their last big activity at the Manila International Auto Show. The previous Changan Philippines website (www.changanphil.com) has just gone offline.

For the Changan brand, Inchcape plans to expand the footprint in the country. Starting this month, they will be responsible for 25 Changan dealerships in the Philippines. As for the model range, for now they will continue to offer the Alsvin, the CS35 Plus, the CS55 Plus, and the UNI-T and UNI-K. Eventually, they are looking at expanding into EV with Changan, but it remains to be seen what models they are evaluating specifically.