SUPREME SCIONS
They say the only things in life that are certain are death and taxes.
But given that humanity hasn’t gone extinct over the last few hundred millennia, there is perhaps one more thing that has remained constant – the creation and adaptation of life itself. Wherever you stand on family planning and overpopulation, we as a species will continue to spawn new people who operate with the latest ideas, fashions and values.
Much like how the Philippine Daily Inquirer has remained a household name across generations, the car industry has remained thriving thanks to the astute succession of brilliant families. We take a look at some of the young names who have made it big in the Philippine automotive scene.
An Ayala is an Ayala
The Ayala Group of Companies is named after one of the most prominent business clans in the country.
And Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala, son of Ayala Corporation chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, personifies the latest in his family’s 190 years of excellence. As CEO of ACMobility and AC Industrials, the younger Ayala is in charge of the distributorship of Kia, Volkswagen and BYD passenger cars in the Philippines.
He is also the head honcho of the local Bosch Car Service franchise, along with the largest dealer networks of Honda Cars and Isuzu. Under his tenure, ACMobility has pushed further into electrification with the introduction of well-received battery-electric vehicles (EV) and a nationwide EV charging station network.
Ayala’s work goes beyond just the car industry – last October, he was appointed as a member and private-sector representative of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Inter-Agency Investment Promotion Coordination Committee, which is tasked with building and strengthening foreign investments in the Philippines.
Given his vast experience and impeccable pedigree, this next-generation Ayala seems perfect for the job of growing an entire nation.
A tradition of happiness
Multi-award-winning dealerships, chart-topping sales figures, and an unbeatable motorsports record – all these accolades have just one common factor: Oben.
Well-respected in the automotive field, the Oben Group was founded over three decades ago by company chair Reginaldo Oben. And his huge success was amplified by his trailblazing son, company president Cosco Oben.
The junior Oben oversees the operations of Toyota Balintawak, Toyota Otis, Toyota North EDSA, Toyota Marilao, and Toyota San Jose Del Monte, along with the dominant Obengers (pronounced like “Avengers”) Racing Team. He points to one of humanity’s most powerful emotions as the fount of his achievements.
“I believe in the saying that when your team members are happy, your customers will also be happy,” Oben told Inquirer Motoring in an exclusive interview last March.
“We all started with satisfaction,” he added. “Now, we’re moving into exceeding the expectations of our customers and if you want to exceed their expectations, we have to exceed the expectations of our employees, too.”
Perhaps it’s his immense emotional intelligence that has helped make Cosco Oben a groundbreaking leader of his generation.
Never too young to lead
Most people at Yves Licup’s age are just starting to find stability in their careers.
But as president of Jetour Auto Philippines Inc. (JAPI), Licup is undoubtedly one of the youngest heads of a car company. He likewise has the advantage of great exposure – his father Vincent Licup is vice chair and COO of the Autospeedygo Group, which is one of the largest multi-brand automotive distributors in the Philippines.
The younger Licup has overseen the immense growth of the upstart Chinese car brand, which was one of the first to officially enter the sub-P700,000 EV segment with its cute and innovative Ice Cream hatchback. This year, the company also launched the well-priced X50, the innovative Dashing Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle and the rugged T2 4×4 sport-utility vehicle.
All these mean that JAPI is set to hit 2,500 sales by the end of 2024 with the help of over 20 dealerships nationwide. Not bad for a young man whose peers would just be entering middle management.
With the likes of Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala, Cosco Oben and Yves Licup, our car industry looks to be in good hands until the next generation of innovators comes along.
