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May 27, 2014

Review: 2014 Hyundai Tucson 2.0 GLS 2WD

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Generally, mid-cycle refreshes are called “facelifts” for good reason: because aside from a nose job and an accompanying price hike, you don’t get much else; manufacturers simply leave the good stuff for the all-new model arriving down the road. Every once in a while though, a car manufacturer breaks this mold and adds a bit more spice into the mix. One such case is the 2014 Hyundai Tucson, but it’s something you don’t obviously see; as it looks like the same one that debuted in 2009. However, drive one and you’ll experience the difference.

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles,announced that the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has awarded the best possible ranking of 2014 TOP SAFETY PICK (TSP) to the all-new 2015 WRX and WRX STI currently sold in the North American region. As for the other Subaru models, 2014 Legacy, 2014 Outback, 2014 Impreza, 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek and 2014/2015 Forester have already earned a 2014 TSP rating.

Unknown to most people, the Nissan Skyline isn’t just the GT-R. It’s actually a family of vehicles including lesser tuned two- and four-door models. Of course, with the R35, Nissan spun the GT-R into a separate line, but it doesn’t mean that the Skyline isn’t getting any turbo love. Nissan Motor Company has finally announced the availability of a new high-power, fuel-efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged engine in the Skyline 200GT-t.

Nissan to Enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 with GT-R LM Nismo

Nissan will unleash the GT-R and go head-to-head with Audi, Porsche and Toyota at Le Mans in 2015. The Japanese manufacturer will also contest the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship with a full factory effort of two LM P1 cars. Nissan’s LM P1 car will be called the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, carrying on a sporting bloodline that stretches back 30 years and recognizes the company’s flagship road car, the Nissan GT-R.

The Covenant Car Company Inc (TCCCI) truly knows how much their Filipino customers value vacations and out of town road trips with friends and family; hence, to provide new Chevy-buyers a worry-free experience in terms of going the distance, Chevrolet Philippines is offering the first 10,000 kilometer Periodic Maintenance Service (PMS) and one (1) year Motorcar Insurance for FREE when you buy your Chevrolet through a PBCOM Autoloan program from May 10 to July 31, 2014! Worry less about your car maintenance expenses and just enjoy your perfect summer getaway!

Two highly fitting locations have been selected for the UK and European debuts of the latest Bespoke Collection from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection will be previewed at an exclusive event on the site of the original Bluebird Motor Company – now the Bluebird Restaurant – on the King’s Road, London on Tuesday 13 May 2014.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

The hash tag, “#boompanes” has been going around social media of late, a play on the expression, “boom panis”, which is the Filipino equivalent of “in your face.” Toyota Motor Philippines executed the motorsports equivalent of that expression (vroompanes) and showed everyone else who’s boss with the successful holding of the first two races of the 2014 Toyota Vios Cup at the Clark International Speedway last Saturday. Toyota rocked the motorsport scene to the core as 30 Vios racing cars lined up on the grid making it the largest grid in Philippine motorsports history. Jason Choachuy (# 37) of Toyota Balintawak ended up taking victory in Race 1 and Allan Uy (#66) of Toyota Quezon Avenue in Race 2 to score strategic points advantage in the eight-race series (4 legs).

Suzuki Philippines Announces Prices, Variants of Ertiga and Swift 1.2

Suzuki Philippines, Inc. (SPH), the only integrated motorcycle and automobile company in the country, releases the official pricing for the two latest compact car models – the Suzuki Ertiga and the Suzuki Swift 1.2.

Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. (ACEI), the official importer and distributor of Volkswagen, hosts the Southeast Asia Pacific (SEAP) Conference. For the first time ever, the aftersales conference to be attended by 80 delegates from all over the Southeast Asian region, will be held locally to welcome the Philippine importer ACEI into the Volkswagen family.

Real for Real and Join the Pros at Sepang with Michelin's The Right 2 Race Online Game

Experience a real and unique motorsport event at the legendary Sepang International F1 Circuit in Malaysia with Michelin’s The Right 2 Race online game promo.

A Decade of Friendship: Toyota Road Trek 10

Photos by Ulysses Ang

There’s this saying that goes, “What happens in Toyota Road Trek, stays in Toyota Road Trek.” To the uninitiated, the annual Toyota Road Trek reads like the motoring beat’s equivalent of spring break, and to a certain degree it does; but besides the being handcuffed to the stage, getting piss-drunk at two in the afternoon, and hanging on for dear life on a mountain cliff, it’s more all about camaraderie, friendship, and the drive. Of course, all done in the Toyota Motor Philippines way.

These are the Highlights of the Upcoming 2014 Bangkok International Auto Salon

The 3rd Bangkok International Auto Salon 2014 (BIAS) has grown into the largest and most exciting custom car and accessories show in the ASEAN region, and this year the event plays host to several new product launches, including the public debut of the all-new Honda Jazz subcompact hatchback.

As the only and biggest Filipino refiner, Petron has a deep understanding of the unique driving conditions on Philippine roads, and its R&D team takes pride in formulating products that will deliver optimum efficiency for Filipino motorists.

Review: 2014 Toyota Wigo 1.0G M/T

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Owning a brand-new car should be stress-free. No anxiety attacks when thinking about payments. No worries about reliability. No agonizing over fuel and maintenance costs. Toyota’s latest addition to their line-up, the Wigo, is promising just that: it’s all about easy-to-own, easy-to-drive, and easy-to-enjoy. But can it live up to the promise? I spent an entire week with the Wigo 1.0G M/T—the full-loaded model that doesn’t break the psychological P 500,000-mark (P 499,000 to be exact). Just how well does it perform? Read on.

5th Philippine International Motor Show is Slated September 18-21 at World Trade Center

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) announces the much-awaited 5th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), a four-day event from September 18-21 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.

The Philippines’s best-selling pick-up, the Ford Ranger, gets new additions to its growing family to bring the total to 13 variants. The new additions expand the range-topping Wildtrak trim by adding two 2.2-liter 4x2 models and the 3.2-liter 4x4 equipped with a manual transmission. The prices for the new Wildtrak models are as follows:

Mazda in the Philippines extends its reach to the south with the opening of AUTOHUB Group’s all-new Mazda Davao, their latest full-service Mazda dealership facility in the country.

It’s the thrill, the rush of adrenaline, and the heart-pounding sensation that make motorsports one of the most exciting ventures to date. Let the number one automotive company in the country take you on this exhilarating ride of authentic motorsports through the Toyota Vios Cup. Experience a full-on waku-doki festival with activities not just for racing fans but for guests who look for real fun and excitement! Just a short ride from Manila, come to the Clark International Speedway on May 24, 2014 (Saturday) and witness what Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) means by WAKU-DOKI.

With the reignited consumer appetite for cars, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) saw its sales climbed to 16% for the month of April to a total of 2,657 units from year-ago levels of 2,293 units. Year-to-date, the group sales racked up to a total of 11,712 units, reflecting a robust 14% growth in sales from comparable period last year.

Kia Motors Corporation announced last week its global sales figures (export sales, domestic sales and sales from overseas plants) for passenger cars, recreational vehicles (RVs) and commercial vehicles for April 2014, recording a total of 251,120 units sold. This figure represents a 4.9% year-on-year increase.

So how do you celebrate the 25th birthday of the world’s best-selling sports car? Well, you send it racing, of course. Mazda has just announced that it will partner with the UK’s JOTA Sport to enter a Mazda MX-5 in the 24 Hours Nurburgring Endurance Race in Germany this year (June 21-22).

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) recently recognized Honda Cars Greenhills (HCGH) and Honda Cars Marcos (HCMH) as “Certified Good Green Dealer” in a ceremony held on May 6, 2014 at their respective dealerships.

Be it with family or friends, summer is the perfect time to take a break from the daily grind and hit the road for an exciting getaway. Driving through scenic routes to the beach or up for some fresh mountain air is now made more exciting as Pilipinas Shell brings road trips to life with Shell V-Power Nitro+ fuels, designed to improve performance and act instantly in engines.

Subaru Kansha Festival 2014 Slated May 19-25 at All Dealerships

Motor Image Pilipinas Inc. (MIPI), the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the country, along with its authorized dealers will hold it’s much awaited annual Kansha Festival from May 19-25, 2014. Also known as Subaru customer appreciation week, the Kansha festival is originally a celebration adapted from the Japanese “Kinro Kansha no Hi” or Labor Thanksgiving Day.

On May 21-23, 2014, finance ministers and delegates from international and local organizations will converge for the 23rd World Economic Forum on East Asia (WEF-EA) at the Shangri-La Hotel, Makati.

Chosen as the official VIP transport vehicle for the ministers are forty (40) units of brand new Volkswagen Touareg V6 from the Philippine distributor, Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. (ACEI).

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines, saw its Passenger Car (PC) segment rallied for the first four months of the year with 16% growth in sales. The PC segment’s solid performance has helped Hyundai to keep sales steady in April despite the brand’s delicate LCV sales performance. Sales reached 1,646 units in April alone, reflecting 2% growth versus comparable period last year. Year-to-date, Hyundai’s sales reached 7,629 units, up by 1% from same period last year.

The Volvo XC60, Volvo Car Group’s (Volvo Cars) best-selling model since 2009, passed the 500,000 units sold mark in April. It has taken the model only little over half a decade to reach this milestone.

Ford Philippines’ “Conquer the Highways, Rule the Fairways” Mustang promotion came to a conclusion as these three lucky Mustang owners (L to R) Arturo Manansala, Doug Kramer and Mark Arthur Pasco were recently awarded each with a specially-designed Ford Shelby GT500 golf cart. Present at the awarding is Kay Hart, managing director, Ford Philippines and Prudz Castillo, assistant vice president for Marketing - Cars, Ford Philippines.

Isuzu D-Max Amazes Cebuanos in 4x4 Drive Series

After successfully kicking off the 2014 Isuzu D-Max 4x4 Drive Series in San Fernando, Pampanga, the off-road driving event next went on to impress Cebuanos with its staging in Mandaue, Cebu on May 9 to 11.

Manila to Host Philippines's Biggest International Auto Aftermarket Tradeshow

The SMX Convention Center, Manila is all set to welcome its biggest international business-to-business exhibition for the automotive parts, accessories and service & repair industry – PHILAUTO’14 from 29 – 31 May 2014. Over 150 companies including Pavilions from China, Korea, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore will join major local industry players including Welcome Exports, Bosch, Coatings, Power Chek, AutoPhil Zone, Thermo King, to showcase a comprehensive range of exhibits for the auto aftermarket industry.

Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), assisted by Dr. Gwendolyn T. Pang, secretary general of PRC receives a Ford Ambulance and Fire Truck from Ford Philippines managing director, Kay Hart (third from left) and AVP for government and corporate affairs, Josie Gonzalez (far right) to support ongoing emergency response efforts of the PRC across the Philippines.

Kickstart Your Summer with Volvo's Advantage Offer

Drive home more adventures this summer with Volvo’s Advantage Offer. Enjoy generous acquisition package for select brand new Volvos. Current Volvo owners will also get a free 21-point service check on their vehicles and enjoy preferential rates on select parts and services.

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