Nowhere to go but North
It’s been the same outcome year after year, for 23 consecutive years. And still, it never gets old.
I’m talking about the dominance of the Toyota brand and business in the Philippine automotive sector for more than two decades. For 23 straight years, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has claimed triple crown victories—that means it has been at the very top of the list in the passenger car, commercial vehicle, and overall sales since 2001, and counting.
At the Jan. 31 media thanksgiving night held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bonifacio Global City, TMP chair Alfred V. Ty announced, “The Philippine automotive industry achieved a new all-time sales record last year with sales of 474,000 units, an increase of 8 percent from last year, outdoing the previous record of 473,000 reported in 2017. With sales of 218,019 units last year, Toyota and Lexus recorded another all-time record high, completing 23 consecutive years of our triple crown.”
TMP and Lexus’ 46.66-percent market share is such a formidable number over the competition (the number 2 brand got just 18.76 percent, while number 3 downwards got less than 6 percent each), that it would take no less than a market catastrophe for Toyota to lose its top spot this 2025. So, I’m calling it now. In the near foreseeable future, TMP is still going to win the market race.
The secret’s in the books
What makes the Toyota brand so consistent? For that, we have to look back at the very origins of the brand in Japan. According to a book written by automotive historian Masaaki Sato titled “The Toyota Leaders: An Executive Guide,” Toyota’s founder Kiichiro Toyoda joined the automotive industry out of a desire to serve his country by putting Japanese brands and skills to work to design a Japanese compact car at par with those of foreign automakers. Another book, “Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way,” pre-eminent Toyota authorities Jeffrey K. Liker and Michael Hoseus examined the “human systems” that Toyota has put in place to instill its founding principles of trust, mutual prosperity, and excellence in its plants, dealerships, and offices around the world. They explained the company’s 4-stage process for building and keeping quality people: Attract, Develop, Engage, and Inspire.
That just means, for as long as there’s competition, the Toyota brand will do everything in its power to build a better car, and for as long as humans run the company, Toyota will develop more inspired, more engaged, and more skilled employees who will excel not just in the workplace but also in their communities.
I witnessed for myself this process at work when I visited the R Garage-Toyota Car Museum sometime this February, and got to pick the brains of its co-founder and general manager of Toyota La Union and the newly opened Ilocos Sur dealership Richmond Glenn So. The R Garage is the first and only Toyota car museum in the Philippines, and the only pure Toyota car museum in Asia. It is also known for having the biggest collection of such cars anywhere in the world outside of Japan.
This non-profit museum co-founded by father Rene So, president of Toyota Dagupan Group, has not just become a place for iconic Toyota classic cars but a hub of inspiration for brilliant young minds. It has been in active negotiations with over 80 schools in La Union province, with a target memoranda of agreement with at least 50 schools by the end of 2025. The museum is being expanded to make way for a “mentorship hub,” with facilities and spaces for kids, teens, and young adults to help them realize their own potentials, not just in the automotive industry, but in any field they would venture into.
As far as attracting, developing, engaging, and inspiring young minds in their spheres of business and influence, this father-and-son tandem is leading the way in their executive capacities with the Toyota Dagupan Group, which includes Toyota Dagupan City Inc. (established in 1995), Toyota Baguio City (2001), Toyota La Union (2012), Toyota Ilocos Norte (2018), and now Toyota Ilocos Sur, TMP’s 74th dealership. They know by heart the Ilocos Province’s economic potentials, the richness of its history and traditions, and the colors of its culture and arts. Using this knowledge accumulated over their lifetime, Richmond and Rene have incorporated the community component into the winning business practices of the brand, thus making Toyota Dagupan Group aligned with Toyota’s “human systems.”
Gratitude at 30
At the April 2 opening of the Toyota Ilocos Sur dealership in Barangay Langlangca II in Candon City, Richmond said, “Today is the day that we say thank you to everyone. Thank you, TMP, for trusting us as your partner for almost 30 years. Next month we celebrate our 30th year of Toyota Dagupan (May 18). Thank you for always pushing us to improve, so that we can serve our customers the best we can, so we can show that Toyota is, indeed, the best brand.”
Toyota Ilocos Sur operates as a full 3S facility, offering sales, service, and spare parts. It features a spacious four-car showroom and a well-equipped workshop with 47 general service and body repair bays, ensuring comprehensive support for customers in the region.
A vision ‘coming to life’
TMP president Masando Hashimoto was on hand to witness the dealership opening. “To be able to witness our vision coming to life is truly an amazing feeling. This is not just the start of a new business for Toyota; the establishment of this facility is a clear reflection of your hard work and dedication,” he said. “As we officially open the doors of this dealership, the store not only will cater to our valued customers but help build community and boost the economy of Ilocos Sur,” he added.
Rene shared Hashimoto’s enthusiasm. “Today, we celebrate not just the opening of a new dealership but the beginning of a new chapter in Toyota’s commitment to serving the people of Ilocos Sur and beyond. We reaffirm our mission of delivering happiness to every Filipino through mobility. We look forward to being a trusted partner on your journey, ensuring that every drive is a safe, reliable, and enjoyable experience,” he said.
The Ilocos provinces play a crucial part in the Philippine economy, and with the newest addition to the Toyota Dagupan Group network, expect TMP’s hold on the industry’s top spot to strengthen. Furthermore, TMP’s remarkable stature among the Toyota’s network of global dealers can likewise expect a boost. TMP is already the 10th largest market for Toyota globally, and as its chair Alfred Ty already disclosed early this year, TMP has generated jobs “for over 69,000 Filipinos in 2024 and realized over $1 billion of exports for the country, and contributed P35 billion to government revenues.”
Even with such staggering numbers, there’s nowhere to go but North.
