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March 18, 2013

24th Mitsubishi Lancer International Junior Tennis Championship This Week!

Organizers of the country’s longest running international junior tennis tournament, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC), International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) are expecting an even more exciting Mitsubishi Lancer International Junior Tennis Championship (MLIJTC) as the biggest juniors’ tournament in Asia opens on March 19, 2013.

Leading oil refiner Petron Corporation earned a Hall-of -Fame Award in the recently concluded 48th Anvil Awards of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) for Everyone’s Vision Petron Collaterals. Vision Petron Collaterals were bestowed with PRSP’s highest honor after bagging the Anvil Award of Excellence under the PR Tools-Publications category eight times since 2001. The Anvil is the symbol of excellence in public relations in the Philippines.

The 2013 Volvo XC60 earned a TOP SAFETY PICK+ in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) new small overlap frontal crash test, currently making it the first and only midsize luxury SUV to achieve such results.

Thanks to its top marks in the latest test, Volvo is now the only luxury manufacturer with two TOP SAFETY PICK+ vehicles. The 2013 Volvo S60 sports sedan received the Institute's highest safety honor in an earlier test.

Vent It Out Friday: Automation Damnation

As an avid watcher of cable television show, Air Crash Investigation, I find it hard to believe that majority of crashes that happened, happened because of simple human error—specifically, a conflict between man and a piece of technology (that was supposed to keep him safe) which he didn’t understand. Indeed, the aviation industry has continuously learned from these mistakes and has repeatedly amended pilot training and plane technology to take into account the somewhat faulty “human logic”. More than that, there’s a serious lesson to be learned for the automakers as well, especially those who hope to make cars safer by taking the controls away from the driver: don’t do it.

Review: 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer EX GLX A/T

Photos by Ulysses Ang

The Mitsubishi Lancer has one of the greatest cult followings in the Philippines, not just in the compact car segment, but in the entire automotive industry. It’s always been considered as an aspirational car, especially for the salary man who could actually afford one, if he could set aside a couple of thousand pesos as part of a “Lancer Fund”. Because of this, it has enjoyed tremendous success and is endeared with nicknames such as “Box Type”, “Itlog”, “Pizza Pie”, and so on.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Each time the Subaru XV arrives at the office to spend time with us; it seems to have a very busy schedule. The first time Subaru’s compact crossover arrived here, we pitted it against the similarly-sized Mitsubishi ASX (full test here) and it came out on top. Next, it was compared to its more luxurious sibling, the Subaru Impreza (story here).

However, in both those cases we were handed the keys to the 2.0i, the base model that’s all well and good but not truly representative of the entire XV line. Instead, that distinction goes to the 2.0i Premium, which is the better selling XV. Yes, it’s slightly more expensive but it also comes better loaded with features. Is the additional price tag worth it or are Subaru buyers getting it wrong? Let’s find out.

Toyota Motor Philippines Awards Top Performing Dealers

Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP) recently hosted its Annual Dealer Conference and Gala Awards at Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu last February 22, 2013 to recognize the remarkable performance of its dealer network. The event was held to honor individual achievers and top-performing dealers in the areas of Sales, After Sales and Customer Satisfaction and Overall Dealer Operations. Moreover, TMP was also awarded by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Toyota Motor Asia Pacific (TMAP) and Mitsui & Co., for its achievements from the previous year. One of which is attaining its 11th consecutive Triple Crown Title.

Building on the technology from its successful and award winning tire for luxury passenger cars, the Eagle EfficientGrip SUV, Goodyear has broken new ground again with the introduction of Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV – Goodyear’s quietest SUV tire ever.

Strong and robust, Goodyear Efficient Grip SUV is engineered with QuietTred Technology to give an exceptionally quiet ride without compromising grip and handle capabilities.

Toyota Offers Free Vehicle Safety Inspection this Summer

Summer is just around the corner and what better way to prepare for your long road trip than to have your Toyota checked by Toyota-certified technicians for free! Simply visit any of Toyota’s dealerships from now to March 23 to avail of the Free 20-point vehicle safety inspection.

Furthermore, for your peace-of-mind, Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation will once again launch the Toyota Motorists Assistance this coming Holy Week – a service tradition for the past 22 years. From Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, service teams will be deployed in eight major destinations across Luzon to assist the motoring public in Bantay, Ilocos Sur; Rosario, La Union; Baguio City, Benguet; Urdaneta, Pangasinan; Tagaytay City; Calamba, Laguna; Lucena City, Quezon; and Sipocot, Camarines Sur. The service teams will provide free roadside assistance and repairs to all vehicles with emergency concerns, regardless of makes and models.

L-R: Mr. Teodoro Limcaoco, BPI Family Savings Bank President, Mr. David Sarmiento, Jr., Senior Vice-President of Auto Loans Head, and Mr. Ramon Altamirano, Loans Product Marketing Head officially opens the BPI Family Online Auto Madness

From the bank that brought to you the original Auto Madness (the now common term for irresistible deals on new car financing) comes another unique product: the country’s first-ever Online Auto Madness. In conjunction with the BPI Family Auto Madness that is happening from today until March 10, 2013 (the first of four this year) at the Glorietta Activity Center, BPI Family is extending their Auto Madness promotion until March 31 through the website www.bpiautomadness.com. Through this unique website, BPI Family offers the convenience of buying a car and getting a loan 24/7 online. In addition, qualified buyers will get free insurance with acts of nature coverage and of course, unbelievable low loan rates.

Ford Philippines today announced it will expand the lineup for its class-defining all-new Ford Ranger at the 2013 Manila International Auto Show with the official launch of the range-topping Wildtrak variants.

The all-new Ranger Wildtrak will be available in three variants - the Duratorq TDCi 2.2L VG Turbo 4x4 in both manual and automatic transmission, and the top-of-the-line Duratorq TDCi 3.2L VG Turbo 4x4 in automatic transmission.

The addition of the Wildtrak will expand the all-new Ford Ranger lineup in the Philippines to six highly-competitive models featuring an unmatched combination of power and safety, fuel efficiency, comfort and capability in its segment.

Vent It Out Friday: Dipstick Future

Technology, along with laziness is killing the oil dipstick. Is this important? Should we care? Will we miss it when it’s gone? The answer to all three is an emphatic yes.

Consider the lowly dipstick: it lives in a dark, hot cave known as the engine bay. It gets covered by liquefied and processed dinosaur remains and nasty, carbon sludge on a regular basis. Once every few thousand kilometers, it gets forcibly yanked out of its home, wiped down, shoved back into its house, and then yanked out again. Its world is build of inconsistency, shock, and extreme conditions.

The new Volvo S60, V60 and XC60 - shown to the public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show - can be fitted with an innovation that makes driving in the dark safer and more comfortable. The renewed Active High Beam Control makes it possible to use high beam continuously thanks to an ingenious mechanism that prevents dazzling of oncoming drivers. At a press conference in Geneva, Volvo Car Group will also present a new world-first collision-avoidance technology.

Driving at night presents car drivers all over the world with challenging conditions. "Our aim with the renewed Active High Beam Control technology is to enhance visibility in the dark by making it possible to use high beam permanently, without having to switch to low beam when meeting or catching up with other cars," says Prof. Lotta Jakobsson, Senior Technical Specialist Safety at Volvo Cars Safety Center.

Ford Philippines Sales Double in Best-Ever February Performance

Ford Philippines today reported its best-ever February performance with overall retail sales jumping 108 percent year-over-year to 865 units. Continuing the company’s best start to any year, and building on the momentum from its best-ever January, the exceptional month was driven by strong sales of vehicles across the Ford lineup.

“We’re off to a very strong start to the year, as customers continue to respond positively to our full lineup of Ford vehicles,” said Randy Krieger, president, Ford Philippines.

Following its commitment to bring products and services closer to its customers, Honda is set to open a new dealership in Tacloban City, Leyte, with operations targeted to start by the second half of 2013. Said dealership is owned by the Mercado Group of Companies and will offer the full line-up of Honda products and services to customers in the Eastern Visayas region. The Tacloban dealership will be the 5th authorized Honda dealer in the Visayas.

Lexus ranked highest in vehicle dependability among all nameplates for a second consecutive year in the 2013 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). The study tracks the number and type of problems owners have with their three-year-old vehicles. In the study, Lexus RX had the fewest reported problems in the industry, which is the first time in the history of VDS that a crossover or SUV has achieved this accolade.

In the year of its 50th anniversary Automobili Lamborghini presented an extremely exclusive model at the Geneva Motor Show 2013. Only three unique units of the Lamborghini Veneno will be built and sold. Its design is consistently focused on optimum aerodynamics and cornering stability, giving the Veneno the real dynamic experience of a racing prototype, yet it is fully homologated for the road. With a maximum output of 552 kW / 750 hp, the Veneno accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds and the top speed for this street-legal racing car stands at 355 km/h. It is priced at three million Euros plus tax – and all three units have already been sold to customers.

Review: 2013 Honda Insight

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Normally, driving a hybrid vehicle is seen as a compromise. Although it does deliver impressive fuel economy numbers, it does so at the expense of a lackluster driving experience. And true enough; with everything connected to circuit boards as opposed to mechanical linkages, piloting a hybrid car is like driving a real-world arcade machine. Thankfully, Honda has taken a different spin on its hybrid vehicles. Honda may not have been the first to market a hybrid, but it does something its pioneering rival can’t: appeal to enthusiasts.

Late Breaking: Motor Image announces all-new Subaru Forester pricing

Bali, Indonesia—Motor Image Pilipinas has just announced the pricing of the all-new Subaru Forester for the Philippine market. It will arrive in two variants: 2.0 i-L and 2.0 XT. The entry-level model will be priced at P 1.398M and the turbo variant will be pegged at P 1.868M. It will be launched at the 2013 Manila International Auto Show running from April 4-7. Meanwhile, the XV will slash its pricing to P 1.298M for the 2.0i. The 2.0 i-Premium will still be at P 1.478M but will have leather seats as standard equipment. More details soon.

Vent It Out Friday: These Bumpers Don't Work

Modern car bumpers are, in the majority of cases, beautiful but utterly useless. They just don’t work. From experience, it often takes huge amounts of money to repair damage from fairly minor accidents—sometimes requiring a replacement—from a relatively minor shunt. And that’s the fundamental problem: modern car bumpers are designed to break.

But before heading there, it’s a good idea to qualify first on how bumpers should work. Basically, a car bumper should be that part of a car that satisfies a simple criterion: it should be able to take some, without you giving any. The ideal car bumper should allow you to crash into another car or object, stationary or moving, at speeds below 8 km/h with zero visible damage. A good bumper design should provide the driver with a sort of buffer zone where small errors in judgment can be absorbed and forgotten. Of course, the modern bumper fails at doing this. However, there was a time when bumpers were able to achieve this ideal, but sacrifices had to be made in one area: aesthetics.

ACC Seals Partnership to Build BMW Flagship in PHL

Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC), the official importer and distributor of BMW vehicles in the Philippines, has officially formalized its partnership with the Armed Forces & Police Mutual Benefit Association, Inc. (AFPMBAI) for the long-term lease of an AFPMBAI property located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The lot will be the future site of the BMW Flagship Dealership, envisioned to be the largest and most modern BMW showroom in the country. The deal, amounting to over Php 1Billion, was made official through a MOA signing ceremony between Mr. Jose Ch. Alvarez, Chairman of ACC, and Brigadier General Ricardo C. Morales, President & CEO of AFPMBAI.

Volvo Cars Asia-Pacific Heads Visit Volvo PH

Volvo Philippines’ optimism for 2013 is made even brighter as Volvo Cars Asia Pacific (VCAP) top executives visited the country recently. VCAP President, Mr. Carl Goran Larsson, VCAP Chief Finance Officer Miss Roslin Ooi, and VCAP Regional Business Manager Ai Phing Teh expressed their continued support for Volvo Philippines and its programs to push the Scandinavian luxury brand in the local market.

Review: 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 V6

Photos by Ulysses Ang

We’ve driven the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 V6 before (full test drive here), albeit stickered and sporting aftermarket rims (it was for an experimental factory-backed drift car project). Though highly sought-after and successful, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) has upgraded the Genesis Coupe for the 2013 model year. And that’s the subject of this Quick Spin.

All-New Bentley Flying Spur to Debut in Geneva

Bentley establishes a new luxury performance sedan benchmark with the launch of the new Flying Spur. With its unrivaled blend of effortless driveability, exquisite luxury and craftsmanship, sculpted design and state-of-the-art technology, the new Flying Spur takes the worldwide success of its iconic predecessor further. Bentley’s most powerful four-door model ever makes its global debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show on 5th March.

UPS recently announced the expansion of its sponsorships in motorsports by entering Formula 1® racing through a multi-year sponsorship of Scuderia Ferrari. The alliance was announced today in Barcelona, Spain and featured Scuderia Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, shortly before the Spaniard took the track for the first time in the team’s 2013 F138 race car bearing the UPS shield.

Every year the editors of the “MIT Technology Review” look for companies all over the world that have announced groundbreaking technologies. This year the jury put Audi on the list of “50 Disruptive Companies” in recognition of the piloted driving project it presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Detroit.

Berjaya Auto Philippines Introduces Mazda YOJIN3

Berjaya Auto Philippines, the exclusive distributor of Mazda in the country, today announced the introduction of a new vehicle ownership program — the YOJIN3 Mazda Total Care. Through the program, Berjaya Auto Philippines will be offering a) 3-year free periodic maintenance service, b) 3-year roadside assistance with exclusive Mazda concierge service, and c) 3-year bumper-to-bumper manufacturer warranty. YOJIN3 Total Care will be bundled to all brand-new Mazda vehicles sold starting January 1, 2013 at no additional cost to the customers.

Vent It Out Friday: Turning Marikina for the Worse

Review: 2012 Toyota Prius and 2012 Toyota Prius C

If a car were a just a bunch of numbers, the Toyota Prius family won’t make much economic sense: priced at P 2,250,000 for the Prius (the White Pearl in these photographs adds another P 15,000) and P 1,475,000 for the Prius c (the Full Option model lent is at P 1,525,000) these cars aren’t cheap. In fact, on price alone, you can get any one of these other Toyota cars: the luxurious Camry, the practical Fortuner, and even the sexy 86, and still have enough money left over for some accessories. However, after spending a week back-to-back with the Prius and Prius c, it shows that these cars are more than just the sum of their parts. They start to offer more than just their price tag: they imbue a sense of environmental responsibility that you can’t get anywhere else. And that may be its greatest achievement.

From L-R: Mikko David, Christopher Kho, Bess Zamora, Bam Olivares, and Ferman Lao

The Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI), the Philippine’s automotive awards giving body composed of motoring journalists, elected a new set of officers and Board Members during their first general meeting and annual elections on 26 January 2013.

Showing confidence in the leadership of CAGI, members re-elected Ferman Lao (Kotse.com, Top Gear Philippines), Bam Olivares (Daily Tribune), Bess Zamora (AQ Magazine), and Christopher Kho (Kotse.com) as board members. Mikko David (TopGear Philippines) is the sole newcomer to the group.

AVID Remains Upbeat in 2013

In January, AVID sales reached 2,625 units, led by the 16% growth in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment. Leading the pack of gainers are Motor Image Pilipinas, Inc., PGA Cars, Inc. and The Covenant Car Company, Inc., which posted sales growth of 61%, 54%, and 45%, respectively.
Compared with the prior month, sales in January rose by 23.4% to 2,625 units sold from 2,128 units, driven by the expansion in the Passenger Car segment (43%) and sales growth of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. at 32.4%.

Vent It Out Friday: Be Smart and Test Drive

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our newest section, “Vent It Out Friday” where we just have a commentary on just about everything. This highly opinionated, highly emotional section will appear (as much as possible) every Friday. Soon, we’ll also be opening “Vent It Out Friday” to our readers, but for now, you can respond to the topic at hand via the comments section below.

With all the car choices in the market today, it’s so easy to get carried away. You’ll see a special offer here or a low downpayment scheme there and before you know it, bam, you’re driving out with a brand-new car. But how many times do we actually know what we’re getting ourselves into? How many times can we say, we’re getting X instead of Y because X fits my needs better? How many times were we swayed more by free chattel mortgage and LTO registration rather than getting a car on its own merit? For car enthusiasts who frequently read newspapers, magazines and websites before going from dealership to dealership, it may rarely be the case; but what about for the rest of the car buying public? It certainly sounds like a tagline, but Honda Cars Philippines said it best: “be smart and test drive.”

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