Benellis being Patronized because of Their Prices

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The comparative advantage of Benelli’s big engine motorcycles compared to their foreign made counterparts is its price.

Benelli-Philippines General Manager Ager Kiocho told this newspaper that the Italian brand is being assembled in Carmona, Cavite thus it pays only one percent tax while those imported brands pay thirty percent tariff.

Various Benelli muscle motorcycles being displayed in the company's Dagupan City branch.

“Ang assembly na benefit kung ano iyong nagi-gain namin in terms of reducing duty iyon ang tina-translate namin na saving ng mga end users so binibigay namin iyon,” he told Northern Watch Newspaper.

According to zigwheels.ph the most expensive imported big bike model in the country is the P4.68 million Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide while other brands produced for the market are Bristol, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, KTM, and others.

Kiotcho said the norm if one purchases an imported motorcycle is its pricing based on the cubic centimeters or cc displacement of the engine.

“Ang norm is P1,000 per cc 400 cc iyon P400, 000. Sa Benelli P238, 000 lang because of that saving. Dito na ina-assemble. Iyong savings na iyon sini-share namin doon sa end user”.

Unlike their foreign counterparts, Benelli owners can immediately buy its spare parts produced in Cavite.

Pangasinan franchisee Armando Lao thought before the motorcycle brand would not jibe with the customers who used to patronize smaller engine motorbikes when he opened in Dagupan City three years ago. He eventually discovered that the Benelli was a hot sale to folks in the city and the gargantuan province.

Various Benelli muscle motorcycles being displayed in the company's Dagupan City branch.

“Sa Dagupan improving ang sale dito binuksan namin ang Benelli Dagupan. Nagbukas kami ng 2019 December. Ngayon we are already on our third year,” Kiocho told this writer.

Aside from Pangasinan, he added that they have branches in Baguio, La Union, Pampanga, Urdaneta City, Mangatarem, and Alaminos City.

Public relation man Toots Orfinada lauded Benelli in the muscle motorcycle industry in the Philippines.

“Mula bata pa ako biker na ako noong mag-aral ako sa UST”

He used to speed off his swift 400 cc engine’s Kawasaki in his teenage years. After relegating at the background his gas guzzling sports utility vehicle (SUV) due to the unabated spikes of fuel this year, he bought a 400 cc Benelli's Imperiale and relished again his old zeal by joyriding to and from Manila and Alaminos City – his residence – and to and from Cagayan Valley and Alaminos City.

“Mag-aalmusal lang siya sa Claveria (Cagayan) at babalik,” jested by his Alaminos childhood friend Kiocho.

BENELLI-PHILIPPINES General Manager Ager Kiocho (3rd from left). Others in photo are (from extreme left) Dagupan City's Benelli's franchisee Armando Lao, vlogger Rio Hana AKA Inang Moto, this writer, and vloggers’ Earl Marie Teano AKA Inday Lakwatsera. 

During the free test ride of various Benelli’s brands in Dagupan City, Kiocho was joined by the Italian brand motorbike aficionados and vloggers’ Earl Marie Teano AKA Inday Lakwatsera (who drives a 400 cc Benelli), Rio Hana AKA Inang Moto (who owns a 500 cc Benelli’s Leoncino), Carmak and Benelli-Dagupan Manager Gani Marceliana and other influencers.

Benelli Q.J. is an Italian company, based in the city of Pesaro in the Marche region, that produces motorcycles and scooters.
Since 2005, according to Wikipedia,  Benelli is owned by the Qianjiang Motorcycle, a Chinese company ran by the Geely Holding Group. Originally founded in 1911 in Pesaro, Benelli is the second oldest Italian motorcycle company still in business.
Design, development and marketing activities are carried out at the Benelli QJ headquarters in Pesaro, Italy, in synergy with the parent company of Wenling China where motorcycles are produced.