Ever wondered why MG dealers in the Philippines have two types of facades—one in red and one in black? This is deliberate according to MG Philippines Vice President for Operations, Karl Magsuci.
Magsuci explains that when SAIC Motor Philippines set up shop in 2023, they inherited a dealership retail network that had little to no standards. This meant that MG’s dealership corporate identity (CI) was all over the place.
Since dealers are a brand’s first touchpoint with potential customers, SAIC Motor Philippines recognizes the effect it could have on MG’s brand image in the country. Thus, they set forth in making its dealers compliant with a set of standards that would truly make their dealers embody the brand’s, “Made Global, Made Great” ethos.
One of the ways they did this was to create a two-tier dealership structure, identified by the color and facade.
Taking a page out of a popular whisky brand, MG Philippines clearly established the Red Label and Black Label dealers. Magsuci explains that while the tier naming is internal, it mirrors as to how these dealers are positioned, and what sort of products and services they offer.
The MG Red Label dealerships, for example, carry only the brand’s combustion and hybrid vehicle offerings. These would be more common in provinces where battery electric vehicles (BEVs) may not be suitable given the lack of a charging infrastructure.
On the other hand, MG Black Label dealerships carry the brand’s entire line-up, including its BEVs such as the MG 4 and Cyberster. These dealerships also have the know-how and equipment to service these vehicles and offer allied services such as complimentary charging.
Apart from making it clearer to consumers as to what products and services each MG dealer carries, having the so-called Red Label and Black Label dealerships also help in attracting more potential dealer partners. Red Label dealerships, for example, are less capital intensive given they are generally smaller in footprint and don’t need to carry BEV-related equipment. Whereas, Black Label dealerships may require a bigger capital outlay, but they may generate greater revenue because it gives customers access to MG Philippines’ full range of vehicles.
Some existing MG Red Label dealerships can be upgraded to an MG Black Label dealership for as long as they comply with the required dealership corporate identity, clarifies Magsuci.
Regardless of being a Red or Black Label dealership, Magsuci says that MG customers in the Philippines can expect an ever improving level of top-notch sales and aftersales service support whichever MG dealership they go to.
MG barely sold any EV this year, less than 20 units total. Nice try on that black label lol
ReplyDeleteWhat really needs improvement is their aftersales and customer service. Having experienced Honda and Toyota’s aftersales support, I can say that my experience with MG falls short in comparison. I have no issues with the vehicle itself, but based on my experience, the staff at a particular branch seems to lack the basic know-how on which parts should be replaced depending on the car’s mileage and age. All they do is an oil change, nothing more. I was hoping they could actually perform proper "preventive" maintenance service. But sure, let’s focus on changing the dealership colors first, as if that’s the real issue.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting experience. Did you observe them during their work or figure that out by asking them questions about the parts? Stuff like parts wear and replacement are usually laid out in checklists which makes things easy to keep track of everything (parts lifetimes are also laid out in the warranty booklets). Also, sometimes the mechanics are just mechanics and not aware of the suggested replacement intervals of their particular employer (over time maybe they would). In charge of those mechanics is usually like a trained specialist who goes through the said checklist and gives the work order needed to the other mechanics. Maybe you weren't able to talk to that guy?
DeleteThe guy should be the one who would initiate to talk to him and not the other way around
Deleteso that's like Maruti Suzuki's Arena and Nexa in India, not exactly the same but more in spirit I guess....Black Label is offers premium, Red Label is more mainstream ish....
ReplyDelete