Sarao Motors
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Sarao Motors, Inc. is a Filipino automotive
manufacturing company Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ...
headquartered in
Las Piñas Las Piñas (, officially the City of Las Piñas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of ...
,
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. The company specializes in designing, engineering, manufacturing, and distributing the
jeepney A jeepney (), or simply a jeep (), is a type of Public transport, public utility vehicle (PUV) that serves as the most popular means of Transportation in the Philippines, public transportation in the Philippines. Known for its crowded seating ...
."Sarao Jeepney"
. The Official Website of Las Piñas City. Retrieved on 2013-04-08.

Stuart Exchange. Retrieved on 2013-04-08.


History

Sarao Motors was established in 1953 by Leonardo Sarao, a former
kalesa A kalesa (Philippine Spanish: calesa), is a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage used in the Philippines. It is commonly vividly painted and decorated. It was the primary mode of public and private transport in the Philippines during the Spanish and ...
driver turned mechanic, as a small automotive shop with an initial budget of . The company grew into a multimillion corporation that produced the majority of jeepneys in the Philippines. At its peak, the ratio of Sarao jeepneys rolling the streets of
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
outnumbered other brands by almost 7 to 1, making the Sarao name synonymous with the vehicle. Sarao promoted the jeepney as a symbol of
Philippine culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by great ethnic diversity. Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures were all shaped by ...
, and its vehicles have represented the country in several events. In 1964, a Sarao jeepney was exhibited at the Philippine pavilion at the New York World's Fair as a national image for
Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...
.Mercado, Leonardo N
"The Filipino Mind - Chapter X: Microcosms, THE JEEPNEY AS MICROCOSM"
. Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. Retrieved on 2013-04-12.
In 1971, a Sarao jeepney traveled from Manila to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and all over
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
as part of the London-Manila Express, a roadshow sponsored by the Philippine Tourism and Travel Association to boost the country's tourism and industry to European countries. In 2000, rising costs forced Sarao Motors to halt jeepney production, resulting in a downsizing of its workforce from 300 to only 50 employees. The collection department was the only part of the company that remained operational. The company eventually resumed operations on a smaller scale.


Products

Aside from the jeepney, Sarao Motors also manufactures custom-built owner-type jeepneys and other types of vehicles for schools, businesses, and other institutions. In 1981,
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
rode a specially built owner-type jeepney by Sarao during his first visit to the country.saraocraft (2005-04-16)
"15 Pope John Paul"
Flickr.com. Retrieved on 2013-04-13.


References


External links

*
A Sarao jeepney manufactured in 1955
{{Automotive industry in the Philippines Bus manufacturers of the Philippines Companies based in Las Piñas Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1953 Philippine brands Privately held companies of the Philippines Jeepney manufacturers