Small Wonders

CEBU CITY — You see them almost everywhere around the city and around the suburbs. They’re being used as public utility vehicles, business vans, family vans, delivery pick-ups, and personal vehicles. They’re even used as shuttle vehicles by vacation spots and beach resorts, though they look more like golf carts with side-facing seats. They are perky, petite and perfect for the local road network. They are called Multicabs and Filcabs and they are manufactured by Norkis Trading Co., Inc.

Well, "remanufactured" would be a more correct term. In 1990, Norkis chairman Norberto Quisumbing, Jr. was looking for an alternative to smoke-belching diesel-powered jeepneys and owner-type jeeps to offer to their customers who were looking for an affordable 4-wheeled vehicle. He found an efficient and low-cost solution using Suzuki and Daihatsu engines, drive train and component parts. He factored in some local ingenuity and creativity, and Norkis was able to come up with two models that spawned a mini-AUV craze in the Visayas region.

Using the Norkis 4R process (Recycling, Re-engineering, Reconditioning and Rebuilding), the factory churns out the Multicab and the Filcab in several variants that can be configured to the customers specifications and needs. Power comes from 4-stroke, water-cooled, 3-cylinder engines with displacements ranging from 550cc to 660cc. Coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission and driving the rear wheels, the engine propels the mini-AUV in a very civil manner. Acceleration is nothing to write home about, but the little engine is amazingly strong and can move all the mass it is carrying around Cebu’s hilly terrain.

The Suzuki-powered Multicab can be ordered as a 5-seat micro-van (Multi-Van), as a mini-AUV with seating capacities from two to 12 passengers (Easy Rider, Cab V DLX, and ER 2000), as a 4-place double cab pick-up or as a 2-seat pick-up with a flat bed. The Daihatsu-propelled Filcab, on the other hand, can be had as a van (Versa DX660), as a double cab pick-up (Multitrac) or as a jeepney-type mini-AUV (Roadstar 550/660 12-passenger or Maxiride 660 with 14-seat capacity). You can even order a double-cab 4x4 pick-up with two-tone paint. Their retail prices range from P130,000 to P220,000 depending on the configuration and the equipment the customer wants installed on the vehicle.

Beyond providing affordable means of transportation, the Multicabs and the Filcabs generated new employment opportunities for the Cebuanos. The labor-intensive manufacturing process of its body and the assembly of its components have created jobs and have honed the skills of many Norkisans, which is what the loyal Norkis employees call themselves. The local after-market industry has also thrived, supplying various accessories like magwheels, custom paint jobs, spoilers and bullbars for these mini-AUVs.

Riding on the mini-AUV bandwagon, gray-market importers have likewise found a market for their wares. They import right-hand drive Suzuki and Daihatsu vehicles, convert them to left-hand drive and under-price these to compete with the Norkis units. Norkis counters these threats with a two-month warranty on their vehicles as a testament of their quality, in addition to its excellent after-sales service and the ready availability of spare parts through authorized Norkis dealers.

So, the next time you are in Cebu, or even somewhere in the Visayas, think of the mini-AUV not as one of the causes of traffic, but as the reason why Cebu’s economy continues to thrive, why its air is relatively cleaner and why its people have nice smiles. After all, wouldn’t you be smiling when you squeeze yourself into one of these mini-wonders along with other smiling passengers?