Fifty (50) years ago, in 1964, an automotive dealership known as Southern Motors, Inc. was formed in Cagayan de Oro to sell the world-renowned automobiles of General Motors Corp. (GMC) of the United States of America.

The dealership started selling vehicles in a small, grassy lot along the once sleepy street of Tiano Brothers in Cagayan de Oro City. To complement its vehicle sales, a small shop was maintained to service customers’ vehicles.

In 1972, finding the need to fortify its market share in the Philippines General Motors set up its own assembly plant in Metro Manila. They also started to assemble other vehicles such as Japan’s Isuzu cars, pick-ups and trucks. The Isuzu model turned out to be GM’s leading product line and went on to become the dominant player in the cars, light and heavy duty commercial vehicle category.

In July 1973, the dealership, whose name was changed to Cebu Southern Motors, Inc., also had its share of monumental growth. Sales soared high and the inevitable happened. The dealership moved to a bigger space in Lapasan Highway where a bigger showroom, service bay and office building was erected.

 The dealership ably survived the onslaught of global economic recession in the early eighties. The automotive industry was severely affected. Many car assemblers folded up. Provincial dealerships also closed shop as vehicle production stopped. Even automotive giant General Motors was not spared. But with admirable business and management savvy and leadership, Cebu Southern Motors, Inc was safely steered away from the economic debacle of that time as it skillfully ventured into selling surplus Japanese vehicles.

 The early nineties ushered the rebirth of the once lively automotive industry. Isuzu did not wait long to reestablish their presence in the market. Under Isuzu Motors, Inc., assembling of Isuzu vehicles resumed and the reliable Isuzu vehicles were back on the road and so are their reliable partners. For Cebu Southern Motors, Inc. it was simply a matter of resuming the exclusive dealership of Isuzu vehicles and accepting the challenges it had always successfully hurdled.

 Now, Isuzu has fortified even more its presence in the light commercial, recreational and sports vehicle market in the Philippines. With the birth of the new Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) and the inauguration of IPC’s billion-dollar vehicle assembly and parts plant in Sta. Rosa Technopark, Laguna, Cebu Southern Motors, Inc. has rose again to IPC’s challenge of delivering quality service to its discriminating, quality-oriented customers under a globally-competitive automotive industry by expanding and renovating its showroom, upgrading its facilities with state-of-the-art automotive equipment and sending its sales force and technicians to regular service training courses at IPC, among others.

 The call of the time is customer satisfaction and Cebu Southern Motors, Inc. has ably responded to this call under the dealership’s slogan “Total Customer Satisfaction”.