The Velocity Q&A: Reginald ‘Reggie’ See (Chief Brand Officer GAC International Philippines, Inc.)

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GAC Makati’s façade now features Aion and Hyptec, reflecting the “One GAC” strategy. — PHOTO BY KAP MACEDA AGUILA

Reggie See — PHOTO FROM GAC INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES

Interview by Kap Maceda Aguila

AS 2025 WOUND down last year, it seemed that something else was winding down in our uber-competitive auto industry. That proved to be the operations of Astara, the Madrid-headquartered “global mobility company” which served as the distributor here of Chinese marques GAC, JAC, and JMC, along with French brand Peugeot.

Among the aforementioned brands, GAC (or the Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd.) was doubtless the strongest in terms of sales. So you could understand the ripple of uncertainty and apprehension that coursed through the market — particularly for people who owned or were looking to own a GAC. Industry observers wondered aloud about the fate of the Chinese state-owned brand, which Astara Philippines added to its portfolio in early 2023.

Despite known for being a Fortune Global 500 firm and with international expansion on its plate, GAC apparently didn’t make enough sense for Astara to maintain its Philippine foothold — which it expressly had been proud of as its first market in the region.

Not to worry. GAC itself apparently likes what it sees in our market. The company now takes over as a “direct subsidiary,” a move that, it announced in a press release, “reflects the company’s long-term commitment to investing in products, distribution networks, customer service, and operational capabilities, and marks an important step in advancing the One GAC strategy in the Philippines.”

“Velocity” recently sat down for a one-on-one interview with GAC International Philippines Chief Brand Officer Reginald “Reggie” See at GAC Makati, where change can already be seen with the addition of GAC model lines (you could say sub-brands, too) Aion and Hyptec — both battery electric vehicle (BEV) specialists, with Hyptec being more premium. All the 30 existing dealerships are expected to reflect this evolution. Here are excerpts from our interview.

VELOCITY: For old customers of course, there may be some understandable worry when Astara left the country — leaving, among others, the GAC brand behind. What’s your message to them?

REGGIE SEE: We are here to ensure a long-term commitment to our customers from the past, present, and in the future. Part of our plan is really to have a One GAC strategy, a global strategy that we want to implement in the Philippines where all GAC brand models will be housed under the GAC brand. Currently, there are three main brands in the GAC Group, which is GAC, Aion, and Hyptec. So we’ll house these under one roof, under one showroom. In the coming months, our customers will be able to see these in showrooms across the country.

When Astara was still taking care of the brand, they of course had warranties, PMS arrangements, and such. Will you be honoring these promises made by Astara on behalf of GAC?

Yes, these customers don’t have to worry. Currently, all authorized GAC dealerships are fully operational. The warranty process is the same because we’re a direct subsidy. In fact, the availability of parts will be improved. Before our operations started this February, we’ve been preparing for quite a bit. So, we actually have a parts warehouse already. As we speak, we’re bringing in parts needed by our customers to our dealers. Soon enough, we will have better and more efficient parts operations for our customers.

What does One GAC mean aside from collecting the other brands or electrified models under one roof?

We are presenting the three brands — GAC, Aion, and Hyptec — as a unified brand to be more consistent for GAC. Number two, we have a unified channel for our customers, meaning we want to optimize our dealer network sales and after-sales service network, so that we can be more consistent in our service delivery and be more responsive to the market. Number three is our united service strategy for a consistent, reliable, and customer-centric approach to the service needs of our customers.

With the addition of Aion and Hyptec, what do you think are the opportunities now being opened for GAC in the Philippines?

Customers wanting any type of automobile type — from ICE (internal combustion engine)-powered, PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), HEV (hybrid electric vehicle), and BEV (battery electric vehicle) — can just go to our One GAC showroom. We also want to see that customers are taken care of in terms of after-sales service and parts availability. And we will continue to engage with our dealers and with our customers to provide more fun activities together with them, so we can make the GAC experience better and happier for all our dealers and customers.

Where do you think GAC stands, at least versus other Chinese brands? And what do you see are its unique value propositions?

I think our best unique value proposition is the quality of our vehicles. Once you get inside a GAC vehicle, you’ll find that the touch and feel are different. You will feel the quality, the premium nature — even for a value car. I know people who have bought GACs, and they’re happy with their cars. The build quality of the cars is different from competitors in the same price point. We want to continue with that. We want to add more features to our cars, and we want to provide better after-sales.