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April 2, 2014

Caltex Opens Station in La Union

Just in time for summer, Chevron Philippines has announced the opening of its latest gasoline station in La Union—the Surf Capital of the Northern Philippines. Located along the National Highway near Pugo Junction, it’s perfectly situated for vacationers who plan to hit the beaches dotting from Agoo to San Fernando to Ilocos Norte. Motorists are assured of five-star quality fuel because of Caltex with Techron. Caltex La Union is owned and operated by Northern Star Energy and Fuel Distribution Corporation.

April 1, 2014

BMW Confirms X7 at Spartanburg Plant Expansion Ceremony

Photo shows the all-new BMW X4's start of production at the Spartanburg plant.

BMW has officially announced another addition to its growing SAV (Sport Activity Vehicle) line-up with the confirmation of the X7. Although no details were given, it was done to coincide with BMW’s additional investment to expand its Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, USA. In total, BMW will invest a total of one billion (yes, that’s with a ‘B’) US dollars by 2016. This increases their annual capacity by 50 percent to 450,000 vehicles from 300,000.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Mid-cycle facelifts are mostly just that, facelifts. More often than not, carmakers slap on a new grille, bumpers, and rims, stand back, congratulate themselves, and call it a day; saving the best bits for the next-generation model. But that’s not the case over at Ford. Yes, the Fiesta has also undergone the ubiquitous nose lift late last year (a radical one at that), but more importantly, the main mechanical bit, the engine, has been completely stripped out; all for the better.

Toyota Motor Philippines Debuts All-New Yaris (w/ Complete Specs)

Shoulder pads, huge hair, and baggy pants—most of us have gone through at least one fashion trend that we’d rather forget today. Despite wearing outfits that would otherwise call the fashion police’s attention, dressing for fun’s sake is always in; it’s something that doesn’t go out of style. And ‘fun’ is the word that perfectly describes the all-new Yaris, Toyota’s newest sub-compact hatchback offering.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced that Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) has acquired a factory site from FORD MOTOR COMPANY (PHILIPPINES), INC. located in Laguna (Laguna Province). Following the relocation of MMPC's current headquarters/factory in Cainta (Rizal Province) to this site, vehicle production is set to begin in January 2015.

MIAS 2014: Rolls-Royce Manila to Introduce Wraith

Rolls-Royce Manila is set to add an additional vehicle to its existing portfolio: the one they deem to be the most dynamic, most powerful Rolls-Royce ever: the Wraith. Packing a 624 horsepower, 800 Nm V12 engine, the Wraith can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds. And yet, it’s imbued with the all the qualities typical of Rolls-Royce: sumptuous, luxurious, and contemporary.

Could the Ford Fiesta ST Head to ASEAN and Philippines?

The Everest Concept certainly took the limelight at Ford’s display at the 2014 Bangkok International Motor Show. It’s deservingly so, because the almost-production ready 7-seater, three-row SUV is expected to bolster Ford’s SUV line-up.

Been on the fence about getting a brand-new Volkswagen? Well, perhaps the Volksfest happening this weekend will help you out. From Saturday, March 29 to Sunday, March 30, Volkswagen is inviting everyone to its high-tech digitized showroom at the Bonifacio Global City (28th Street City Center, Bonifacio Global City) to experience Das Auto.

Video: Peugeot Teases Return to Dakar

Peugeot is showing off its latest motorsports foray: Dakar. The brand is no stranger to the dangerous rally winning it four times in a row from 1987-1990. And though the French brand has taken their time to dust off its rally boots, they’re doing so with seasoned Dakar veteran and 2010 winner Carlos Sainz and five-time Dakar motorbike winner Cyril Despres who will now compete in the car category. Peugeot’s challenger is officially called the 2008 DKR and is loosely based on their 2008 crossover.

Hyundai Receives Prestigious Red Dot Design Awards for All-New Genesis, New-Generation i10

Hyundai Motor received two Red Dot Product Design Awards for its recently-launched All-New Genesis and New Generation i10 in the Vehicles category. The internationally acclaimed Red Dot Awards recognize aesthetic form, innovation and ground-breaking ideas. The two Hyundai winners were chosen from an entry list of 4,815 products from 53 countries.

In celebration of its 100th year in the country, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. welcomes 2014 with 100 lucky winners of amazing and exclusive prizes of the Trip to Italy promo launched last year.

Motorsports in Their Blood: PGA Cars Holds Driving Experience, Inaugurates the Audi-Porsche Motorsports Lounge

PGA Cars, the exclusive distributor of Audi and Porsche, among other luxury marques, treated some customers to try out their precision machines in the safety of a racetrack. For a day, the Clark International Speedway became a high-speed playground as it hosted the PGA Cars Driving Experience—the first of many according to PGA Cars Sales Director Mr. Lito Jose.

Forty two teachers out of 48 and 27 out of 476 students from ERDA Technical and Vocational High School in Pandacan, Manila will soon be educating their own classmates, co-teachers, families, and neighbors through classroom talks, community seminars, and house visits as qualified trainers in tuberculosis (TB) awareness in their community. The volunteers were trained and certified as part of “Caltex Labanan ang TB para Tsuper Healthy.” This multi-awarded TB awareness campaign created by Caltex marketer, Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), is designed to raise awareness and bust myths about TB in partnership with city health offices in Manila, Makati and Quezon City.

The Ford Everest Concept takes center stage at Ford’s sprawling pavilion at the 35th Bangkok International Motor Show showing the Blue Oval’s commitment to a product-led transformation that promises segment-leading global vehicles for Thailand as well as the ASEAN region.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

First-timers will find the Honda CR-Z a mesmerizing, if not, confusing sports car considering all the tech shoved into it. Start it up and the instrument cluster alone has 11, yes, 11 separate clusters and gauges displaying all sorts of information. Add to that the 3-Mode Drive system to the left and the climate control to the right and it becomes apparent that the CR-Z’s made for the Gran Turismo generation. However, as you get used to it, operating the CR-Z becomes second nature; like a well-worn pair of Adidas running shoes (we’ve tested it in Modulo CVT trim and even pitted the MT versus the Toyota 86). Yes, this is one complex machine, but it’s completely understandable too. But what happens when Honda sprinkles a bit of their motorsports magic onto the CR-Z? The resulting sports hybrid is something that’s equally familiar and mysterious—meet the CR-Z Mugen.

Hyundai Unveils All-New Sonata in Korea

Hyundai has finally taken the wraps off the all-new Sonata, a car that Hyundai calls “the first application of premium technologies first introduced in the Genesis”. The all-new Sonata features the next evolution of the company’s Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy, a much more subdued and refined design that promises a more athletic appearance.

The results are in, and now six lucky contestants are just one step away from taking part in the most epic urban adventure with the one-of-a-kind urban SUV, the all-new Ford EcoSport.

In anticipation of the arrival of the all-new Ford EcoSport in the Philippines, Ford launched ‘EcoSport Urban Discoveries’ last January 2014, a new interactive campaign designed to engage Filipino consumers to share their own urban discoveries around the metro and why the all-new Ford EcoSport is the ideal vehicle to get there.

The Hyundai New Thinkers Camp, a partnership program of HARI Foundation, Inc. (HFI) and the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), brings 60 high school students and teacher delegates from 20 selected public schools in Metro Manila and Regions III and IV for a one-of-a-kind learning experience in oceanography and hydrogeology in Puerto Galera, Mindoro on April 1 to 9, 2014.

Isuzu Philippines Growth in Step with Auto Industry

The first two months of 2014 saw 21,591 vehicles sold by Commercial Vehicle member-companies of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. and Trucks Manufacturers Association, eclipsing the 17,951-unit total during the same period last year, or a solid 20.3% growth. This upward trend was evident in February when 11,234 vehicles were sold compared to the 10,357 vehicles delivered in January posting an 8.5% increase.

L-R: Mr. Vince Alquizalas, SVC-Education Supervisor; Yukio Fukada, Division Director; Tomoyoshi Inoue, Service Manager; Sam Macapulay, SVC-Educ. Asst. Supervisor

The pioneer in the motorcycle industry, Yamaha Motor Philippines Inc., continues to create relevant events that uplift the standards of service in the country. The first-ever Technician GP (TGP) happened last March 19, 2014 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall. With the tagline, Making a Difference in the Race for Service Excellence, the TGP was a big leap in upgrading the skills of Yamaha’s technicians.

The battle was participated by certified YTA technicians with a minimum level YTA silver who is a regular employee with at least one year of work experience in Yamaha 3s shops. Yamaha Motor Philippines Inc. sparked the birth of excellent technicians who have the ability to provide exceptional service resulting to superior one-on-one customer care.

Subaru Launches Most Affordable Impreza Yet: 2.0i CVT at P 1,128,000

The compact car war is certainly heating up this 2014 as Subaru distributor, Motor Image Pilipinas launches its most affordable Impreza yet, the 2.0i. Priced at just P 1,128,000, the 2014 Subaru Impreza 2.0i comes equipped with the company’s efficient and responsive Lineartronic CVT as standard. It replaces the even more expensive 2.0i M/T that cost P 30,000 more. It’s also cheaper than the previous generation (GH7) Impreza’s automatic transmission that would have been P 60,000 more.

And yet, a glance at the 2014 Impreza 2.0i spec sheet reveals even more technology for the price.

Volvo Philippines is officially launching their 2014 line-up summed up in one theme: “Smart Luxury”. For Volvo, Smart Luxury is a new and fresher take of making driving pleasurable. Designed around people, the 2014 Volvos make life less complicated. The entire design is always form follows function whether inside or outside and gives you the best value for money. And of course, rest assured that it’s still one of the safest cars on the road today.

Photo by Ulysses Ang

The all-new Mazda6 has been awarded the maximum five-star overall rating by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new car assessment program (NCAP). With this latest result, the all-new Mazda6 adopting Mazda’s next-generation lightweight and high-rigidity SKYACTIV-Body, has now received the highest possible safety ratings from Japan, the USA and Europe.

Philippine Car Price Guide: March 2014

Here is the March 2014 installment of the Philippine Car Price Guide. Several key additions and/or updates this month are:

City 1.3 Mugen
City 1.5 Mugen
Hyundai Grand i10 (price update)
Mitsubishi Adventure (price update)
Mitsubishi Lancer EX (price update)
Nissan Altima
Nissan Sylphy
Peugeot 3008 (price update)
Peugeot 5008 (price update)
Peugeot Expert Tepee
Peugeot RCZ (price update)
Subaru Forester 2.0 i-Premium

With the entry of new exciting models, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) managed to grow its sales by 18% as of February or 5,866 units from 4,963 units in the same period last year.

Known more for their spring cushions, O-sulee is branching out to vehicle anti-theft systems and to make their product different, they’re making a wireless car alarm. Yes, you read that right—a wireless car alarm. The O-sulee Wireless Alarm is a complete car alarm system that doesn’t need any splicing, wiring, or anything of the sort.

The Hyundai Shell World Rally Team has celebrated a landmark result in Rally Mexico with both Hyundai i20 WRC cars finishing the grueling 22-stage rally in style and lead driver Thierry Neuville scoring a maiden podium for the team in third place.

Subaru Launches Mid-Grade Forester: the 2.0i-Premium

Always been wanting a Subaru Forester, but find the 2.0i-L a bit bare and the XT a bit too expensive? Well, you’re in luck. Motor Image Pilipinas has quietly introduced (official debut is slated at the 2014 Manila International Auto Show on April 3), a new variant of its best-selling Forester crossover dubbed the 2.0i-Premium. Essentially, it’s got 90-percent of the XT’s goodies at a much more affordable price point. Sounds good? Read on.

Scott McLaughlin entered the history books today as he scored the first V8 Supercars victory for Volvo Polestar Racing in the Australian Grand Prix weekend with Formula 1 in Melbourne.

“This is just unbelievable, something you never forget! The car was fantastic, an awesome day for everyone at GRM and Polestar,” said McLaughlin.

Formula 1 Car Sounds: 2014 vs 2013 - The Terrible Truth

There have been a lot of complaints about how the 2014 Formula One cars sound compared to their 2013 counterparts. Apparently, it’s the lack of that aural scream normally associated with high-revving purpose-built race cars. How bad? Well, check this video.

Ford EcoBoost Powers Prototype to 12 Hours of Sebring Victory

A prototype vehicle running Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 has claimed victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring last weekend. Considered to be one of the most demanding racetracks in the US, Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, and Marino Franchitti took the Roush Yates-prepped Riley-Ford to victory lane.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Pick-ups—they don’t normally score high when being considered as daily drivers. With the exception of those who actually need the bed (construction or mining people to name a few), they’re not exactly the most ideal vehicles to ferry the kids to school, date the wife, and the dog to his vet appointment. Or are they? Times are changing and pick-ups are just about as refined, sophisticated, and luxurious as some executive sedans. The Ford Ranger, especially in its 3.2 Wildtrak guise is long considered to be tops in this segment. However, Chevrolet seems to have the answer with the 2014 Colorado 2.8 LTZ. Though the changes are headlined by a revamped powertrain, it does get more toys to go head-to-head against the Ranger. The question is: can it win?

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