Subaru opens first dealership in Cavite
AVB’s bold, mid-pandemic venture
Photographs courtesy of Subaru | AVB Motorhub Pilipinas president Aitor Barandiaran: ‘We saw the opportunity.’
Who would have the audacity to open a business right smack in the pandemic, let alone a car dealership?
It's that kind of mindset, astute and forward-looking, that brought about the first-ever Subaru dealership and showroom in Cavite.
AVB Motorhub Pilipinas, which also owns motorcycle dealerships, on 6 June made a full launch at Casa Bellisima, Aguinaldo Highway, Barangay Anabu, Imus City.
It was almost three years since the dealership formally opened just when the economy was reeling because of the coronavirus.
"We saw the opportunity," said AVB president Aitor Barandiaran during the event. He said he reached out to Tan Chong International Ltd. Motor Image which controls Subaru in this part of the world.
"I got more surprised I got a reply from their Singapore office. And it was quick. From there two weeks, three weeks. It was done. We set meetings all virtual. All online," he added. "And as they say the rest is history."
The event was graced by Glenn Tan of Tan Chong International Ltd. Motor Image, Congressman Adrian Jay Advincula and Vice Mayor Homer Saquilayan.
"We found an emerging market open to all opportunities in Cavite and other parts of southern Luzon," said Tan in a brief speech.
Subaru Wrx: An all-wheel drive sport compact car originally based on the Impreza created for the World Rally Championship in 1992.
Saquilayan pledged the support of the local government to the business, which is just one of the many that contributes to the growth of the bustling city.
"So here we are today three years after a global pandemic, it may have delayed us, but it did not stop us," Barandiaran said. "We are finally inaugurating our Subaru Cavite dealership."
