Volvo Philippines continues to support music and the arts as it becomes the official transport of world-renowned pianist Cecile Licad. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Sanctuario de San Antonio and the 19th Francisfest, Licad performed along with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra on October 2, 2015.

Conducted by Gerard Salonga, the evening was filled with sweet notes and a repertoire that delighted all guests. More importantly, proceeds of the concert supported outreach programs, such as the scholarship program for deserving youth, the PGH Pediatric Hospital Ministry, The Prison Ministry, victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Samar, and poor Franciscan parishes in rural areas.

Licad will be ferried in a Volvo S60, a sleek and stylish sports sedan.

After bagging two 1st place finishes at the 5th round of the 2015 Yokohama Philippine GT Championship last September 27, Willie Torres is provisionally now the new GT 300 champion with one round to spare.

UPDATE 3: Volkswagen Philippines issued a statement (10/03).

UPDATE 2: The Dieselgate scandal has caused some heads to roll (9/26).

UPDATE 1: More information provided below. Seems the cheat involves engines worldwide (9/23).

Volkswagen is the middle of a corporate catastrophe that undermines a loss of trust towards consumers and government regulators. Just last week, the US-based Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has discovered that certain VW models are able to circumvent emission requirements during testing with a “defeat device”. This affects close to 500,000 cars and could also mean that the German automaker could face stiff fines.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Automakers generally follow one of two paths in introducing an all-new vehicle. Some take a conservative approach and choose to raise each bar (performance, comfort, efficiency, etc.) marginally, in an effort to please all and alienate none. Others take a strategic risk and focus on specific attributes in an attempt to shift perceptions about their vehicle.

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), Honda’s automobile business unit in the Philippines, reports that it sold 1,700 vehicles for the month of August. To date, a total of 12,167 Honda vehicles have been sold in 2015. This indicates a 48% increase compared to its sales over the same period last year.
The lone locally-produced Honda vehicle, the City, remains the Company’s best seller contributing 44 percent to HCPI’s August sales.

Furthermore, the recently launched Mobilio shows a lot of promise as it registered a 22 percent contribution to HCPI August sales. For the month of August, the Mobilio garnered 830 new reservations proving that customers have a strong desire for this type of vehicle in the market today. The Mobilio is Honda’s first seven-seater Multi-purpose Utility Vehicle (MUV) that addresses the market’s need for an affordable family vehicle.

Ford Philippines expands its dealership network with the opening of Ford Palawan.

Under the leadership of Willy Tee Ten, Ford Palawan is his 8th Ford dealership to open.

The Ford Palawan dealership is a one-floor facility covering a total area of 1,500 square meters, with a 5-vehicle showroom display and 4-bay service area.

Ford Palawan is located in North National Highway, Barangay,  San Jose, Puerto Princesa City.

“Our Ford dealerships are the touch points we have to our customers, offering them the quality customer service experience that they deserve. We continue our expansion in the Philippines to cater to our widest lineup of Ford vehicle offerings in the market”, said Kay Hart, managing director of Ford Philippines.

This year, Ford has established dealerships also in Ormoc and Sta. Rosa, bringing the current number of Ford dealerships to 39.

Ford remains on track with its plan to expand itsnationwide dealer network to 40 locations across the country by end of the year with the opening of Ford Marilao in November.

Aston Martin’s ongoing expansion in the important Asia Pacific region continues to gather pace with the British luxury sports car maker officially opening its dealership in Manila.

Recognizing the power of sports in the Philippine market, Suzuki Philippines (SPH) renewed its contract with three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and 2010 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Under-18 Championship Mythical Team member Kiefer Ravena, extending his endorsement agreement with the company for another year.

Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology (TMP Tech) holds its first commencement exercises with 110 students graduating from their 2-year Toyota General Job Automotive Servicing Course.  These graduates will join the local and overseas Toyota workforce.