Interview by Kap Maceda Aguila
Mr. Cruz — PHOTO FROM TOYOTA MOTOR PHILIPPINES
VELOCITY: How many Wigos do you intend to sell this year?
DANNY CRUZ: We don’t have a projection for the year, but what we expect on a monthly basis for this new model is to move around 1,600 units. A big portion of it will come from the upper-grade G, maybe 1,100 units, the middle grade around 350, and then 150 for the J.
SUVs and MPVs are obviously very popular among Filipinos, but what are you seeing in the passenger car segment, particularly at this price point? Are you still seeing healthy interest?
We see still a substantial number of Filipinos who are just about to buy their first car. We’re positioning the Wigo as a reliable, practical, low-cost vehicle that can serve them every day. We think that market is still there. Of course, this can also be an additional vehicle for families who already have a car.
But this will continue to target first-time buyers?
Primarily — and first-time buyers in the formal market. These are people who probably bought a second-hand vehicle and now have enough to get their first brand-new car.
Given the sales numbers you mentioned, are you confident that this will be supported by the production facility in Indonesia?
Yes, we are confident that they can supply those numbers. This year, we’ve already seen a lot of improvement in our supply in general. For this particular model, we don’t see any problem.
You have Wigo inventory already?
Yes, and many more are coming in.
In other markets, there is a Wigo TRD version. Will we see that here, or maybe even a GR-S version?
As of now, we have no comment yet on future products. We’ll explain once finalized.
Will you have after-market accessories for the Wigo?
Yes, we have the GR package, which comes with side skirts, a spoiler, and other items like sunshade and visor — available at any Toyota dealer.
