The return of the King

MANILA, Philippines - Skygo Marketing Corp., an all-Filipino company with a tie-up with the leading motorcycle company in China, Chongqing Lifan Industry Co., has relaunched its latest premiere business motorcycle model, the new-look King, as the company’s fastest selling model in the PANTRA (pantrabaho, pangnegosyo, panghanapbuhay) market.

Michael Aquino, marketing and brand manager, and Ramon Santos, Luzon Regional Head, are very enthusiastic about the re-launching of the King model.

“This is all about good news; we are formally launching this as our flag carrier for the brand of Skygo with the PANTRA market. This model is perfect for traveling on rough terrain, transporting relatively heavy loads and for sidecar delivery purposes,” Aquino said.

During the launch, there was a four-minute audio-visual presentation before the unveiling of the King. Initially launched in 2000, the Skygo King underwent a new facelift to make it fresher and more attractive. It now has a new 150cc engine combined with a five-speed transmission for reduced fuel consumption of 47.62 km/l. It has fewer plastic parts to reduce breakages, an enhanced street-bike-style fuel tank for better leg grip, a heavy-duty front shock absorber that responds very well to rough terrain, a well-built rear carrier that has a better capacity to carry heavy weights, and a sidecar-ready provision for attachment for business or motor transport purposes. All this for a very reasonably low price.

“The reason is not that the unit is of low quality that’s why it’s so cheap or affordable. We want to expose the unit to the public for the first six months. We want it to first be tried out by as many people as possible and to be available for everyone. The purpose of this is for the new King to have a quick start and have an immediate exposure to the market,” Aquino said.

“It’s a common mindset that China-made motorcycles are low in quality. We would like to change that concept. As far as quality motorcycles are concerned, we would like to be known as the other half of the big four and we are the forerunners of the China big four if ever, that’s why we take pride in the fact that we don’t only give quality products, we are also present in quality markets and we give quality services,” Santos said.

Skygo handles all aspects of the preparation, distribution and sale of its motorcycles. It has its own state-of-the-art assembly plant that takes charge of product assembly, warehousing, logistics, distribution, quality control, R&D and retailing.

Michael Aquino (left) and Ramon Santos of Skygo

If you’re an entrepreneur looking for a more stable workhorse, the King is very suitable for the job and it comes with a new aerodynamic headlight design, friendlier meter gauges for a more classy look, and a factory package hazard/blinker for emergency purposes, which is rare for other brands.

“The King and Skygo motorcycles are born to serve. With the growing demand for motorcycles to service delivery outlets and ferry passengers inroad and in remote areas, we are filling up a need that can translate into brisker business and more vibrant local markets nationwide,” Aquino said.

On a closing note, Santos emphasizes: “As you may very well know Skygo has been in the market for 12 years; but essentially Skygo is still in its infancy. This is part and parcel of growing up with the market vis-à-vis the others, specially the Big 4 companies. They have been in the market for 50-70 years and this is an enigma as far as Skygo is concerned. We claim to be a Filipino-made motorcycle but 90 percent of the parts come from China. We are in process of Filipinizing our products also developing other sources of local products, which will enhance our locally assembled motorcycle.”

And their vision and dream is to provide a motorcycle for every Filipino. “Motorsiklo galing ngang China pero gawa sa Pilipinas, gawa ng Pilipino, para sa Pilipino,” enthused its maker.

With the return of the King, Skygo promises a better product and quality service.