Jetcon Corporation Limited completed the next phase in its move to become a new car dealer as it opened its new showroom dedicated to the BAIC-Beijing brand on Friday, October 25 at its Sandringham Avenue headquarters.

“We’ve been in this business for 30 years selling used cars. We are transitioning into new cars and that requires a different approach, and a different level of operation. We need to have a nice showroom to display these lovely Beijing cars, so this is one of the first steps we’re making in terms of marketing this new brand we will be representing in Jamaica,” Andrew Jackson, CEO, told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.

Jetcon announced it had acquired the right to sell the BAIC-Beijing brand of passenger vehicles in 2023.

The new showroom is 2,100 square feet. It was completed in four months at a cost of around $30 million. It will house administrative and sales staff, with servicing handled on the property as well.

Jackson explained that Jetcon is watching the market with eyes for further expansion.

“There are a few little touches left to complete this showroom, but it’s supposed to be a temporary showroom as we have plans to build a larger more attractive showroom,” he added.

The tentative showroom’s location will be on a larger property nearby. The expansion will also be in the models carried as currently, Jetcon sells the Beijing X55 SUV and the BJ40 off-roader.

“We have a third model we’re going to add early next year, and we’re looking a fourth one,” he said.

Until that arrives, Jackson stated that they will be doing everything to increase the presence of the X55, as it sits in the largest segment of the new car market, compact SUVs.

Jackson hopes to transition previously used car customers and future Jetcon buyers into new car owners of Beijing brand vehicles.

“The beautiful thing about it is that the price point of these cars is really just above the high-end used car. So, for example, one of the popular SUVs that we sell, the Mazda CX-5, the X55, is a little bit above that price. In fact, in terms of financing, the X55 will probably cost a little bit less per month to buy. Plus, you get a five-year warranty, and two years free service, so overall it will probably end up costing you less than if you bought used,” said Jackson.

He sees the real task as working past the resistance of the Jamaican public towards Chinese-branded cars, a resistance he notes is already being eroded given his unit sales and the increasing presence of other such brands in the market.