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January 12, 2016

NAIAS 2016: Lexus's LC 500 is a Strong Statement

Lexus debuted a big surprise at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in the form of the LC 500 luxury coupe. Based off the LF-LC Concept which was shown four years ago, the LC 500 is the brand’s new provocative, athletic flagship coupe that makes the strongest statement about Lexus’s future direction.

You can now bring more friends on your off-road hijinks with the introduction of the F-150 Raptor SuperCrew. Still unmatched in terms of performance, the F-150 Raptor SuperCrew adds two full-sized rear doors and more rear passenger room. The wheelbase is stretched adding 12 inches (304 millimeters) to the already long 133-inch (3,378-millimeter) distance between the front and rear wheels.

A surprise hit for Ford, the Fusion has seen an uptick in sales especially in areas usually dominated by Japanese mid-sized sedans. Now, the Blue Oval is taking things a step further with the most technologically-packed Fusion ever. It also packs game changing drivetrain configurations none of which are available on the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.

BMW is evoking the legendary 2002 Turbo and the E30 BMW M3 with the all-new M2. A direct successor to the 1 Series M Coupe, the M2 delivers outstanding dynamics and exceptional agility in a compact package. With its high-performance inline-6 and rear-wheel drive, BMW says that this is the final world in driving pleasure.

Detroit marks the debut of two new Mercedes-Benz models, one of which made its global unveil at the show floor. 2015 is a record year for the three-pointed star, delivering a 13-percent growth in global sales. Now, Mercedes-Benz wants to build up on that success by re-engineering one of its most important products in its line-up: the E-Class.

After being previewed at their year-end media thanksgiving party, Honda Cars Philippines has announced the official availability of the 2016 CR-Z Sports Hybrid. The best-selling hybrid in the country, the 2016 CR-Z now features a simplified line-up with only one model variant and two transmission choices available.

Volkswagen is showing off the flexibility of its modular MQB Platform by presenting the Tiguan GTE Active Concept at the North American International Show (NAIAS). Based off the all-new Tiguan crossover, the Tiguan GTE Active Concept mixes plug-in hybrid technology with maximum off-road performance.

Audi is offering the all-new A4 in a go-anywhere guise: the A4 allroad quattro. Thanks to increased ground clearance and standard quattro all-wheel drive, it gives utmost confidence and comfort even when the pavement turns to trails.

Chevrolet gave its second-generation compact, the Cruze a sophisticated makeover when it debuted as a sedan last year. Now, they’re adding a new body style, a hatchback, into the mix with the introduction of the Cruze hatchback.

Chrysler is reviving the Pacifica nameplate to signal a new era in its minivan (MPV) offering. Replacing the Town & Country, Chrysler is positioning the Pacifica as not “your typical soccer mom” minivan. To that effect, the company is tapping into their minivan experience—all 30 years of it—creating a product with nearly 40 segment firsts.

It’s hard what to make of the RAV4. What first started as Toyota’s sole crossover in the late 1990’s has now become the middle child in the Japanese automaker’s growing SUV family. It’s been forced to swagger up, now becoming the Camry of Toyota’s SUV line-up when it isn’t even carrying enough trimmings to be considered dapper. And now, for the first time ever, its price point has breached the psychological two-million mark for this top-range 4WD. Is Toyota losing its mind or is it finally giving the often-ignored RAV4 the attention it deserves?

NAIAS 2016: Ford Isn't A Car Company Anymore

You’re looking at the future of the Ford Motor Company. Though it doesn’t look it in terms of design or drivetrain (it’s introducing the Blue Oval’s first use of idle start/stop—something other automakers have been implementing on their products for quite some time), the 2017 Escape it’s the beginning of Ford’s move to make their vehicles smarter (you can read more on the Escape at the LA Auto Show here).

The launch of the all-new 2016 Toyota Fortuner is just a few days away (January 14 to be exact) and because of that, some dealers just can’t keep their excitement. A quick browse reveals that some dealers have begun pre-selling Toyota’s PPV (Pickup-based Passenger Vehicle) and can be reserved with just P 20,000.

Delectable Gourmet Treats for Volvo Owners at Chef Jessie at the Rockwell Club

Volvo serves another gastronomic treat to its valued customers by partnering with renowned chef and restaurateur Chef Jessie Sincioco. Simply by showing their Volvo keys, Volvo car owners can enjoy a 50% discount on their bill when dining at Chef Jessie restaurant at the Rockwell Club. This special gourmet privilege runs from now until March 31, 2016.

Honda Foundation, Inc. (HFI) in cooperation with Haribon Foundation conducts their annual Tree Planting Activity on Mt. Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape in Rizal Laguna.

Volkswagen is catching up to the rest of the automotive-dom in the realm of EVs or Electric Vehicles. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the German automaker showed off a new concept riding on the company’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB).

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the first-ever standard-production vehicle to be awarded with a test license for autonomous driving in the US state of Nevada, the carmaker revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Chevrolet is introducing an all-new EV vehicle that’s designed to steal the thunder from Tesla Motors. Meet the all-new Bolt. Not be mistaken for the Volt which is Chevy’s extended range EV, the Bolt is the bowtie brand’s new long-range and affordable EV vehicle for the masses.

Last year, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced the development of an all-new aluminium space-frame architecture that will underpin all future Rolls-Royce models arriving in market from early 2018. The company today announced that it has begun the testing phase of this new architecture, with early preparatory activity seeing new engineering mules tested in public around the world.

TAS 2016: Tokyo Auto Salon to Kick Off on January 15

The third major car-related auto show this January (after CES and NAIAS), the Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 is kicking off from Friday, January 15 to Sunday, January 17 at the Makuhari Messe Convention Complex. Already one of the largest annual custom car and car-related product shows in the world, the Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 is, according to its organizers, the biggest one yet.

CES 2016: Kia Creates DRIVE WISE for Autonomous Driving Tech

Kia is finally getting into the autonomous driving phenomenon sweeping car brands of late with the introduction of “DRIVE WISE”. This sub-brand encompasses future Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS. In addition, Kia has already announced plans to manufacture partially-autonomous cars by 2020 and fully autonomous vehicles 2030.

Ford is tripling its fleet of fully autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid test vehicles – making it the largest in the automotive industry – and will use a new-generation sensor technology as the company further accelerates its autonomous vehicle development plans.

Mazda has reached a new global milestone announcing the production of more than 3,050,000 (three million fifty thousand) vehicles featuring Skyactiv Technology and KODO – Soul of Motion design. This milestone comes about four years since the first model, the CX-5, started in November 2011.

Ford is expanding its SYNC connectivity system, adding Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 4G LTE, and several new AppLink apps. This will enable consumers to stay connected behind the wheel and even when they are away from their cars.

Honda Conducts 7th Body and Paint National Customer Service Skills Competition

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) takes pride in conducting the 7th Body and Paint National Customer Service Skills Competition (NCSSC) to showcase the skills of their dealer service associates in four (4) categories – Body Repair, Paint Repair, Paintless Dent Repair, and Service Advisor.

Four million two hundred ninety thousand pesos—let that amount sink in for a second. That’s the entrance fee to Volkswagen Touareg ownership, especially if you want the Sport Edition pictured here. Is it worth it? Well, that’s a question not easily answered because you can take two points of view. The first is that you’ll look at it as a cut-price Porsche Cayenne because it largely shares the same running gear and platform as Stuttgart’s venerable SUV. On the other hand, if you’ll look it purely as a VW and as such, it costs about a third more than Wolfsburg’s next most expensive offering. Either way, it’s a gross oversimplification of the entire car. It’s neither a poor man’s Porsche nor a rich man’s Volkswagen; it’s got its own unique identity which you’ll only understand if you get to spend some time with it.

Subaru Earns Top Marks in IIHS Safety Standards

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, recently announced that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS; a nonprofit organization supported by auto insurers in the US) has awarded the highest standard of safety, 2016 TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+), along with the highest possible rating of “Good” for five crash-worthiness tests as well as “Superior” for front crash prevention with the highest possible score of 6 points, to the 2016 Subaru Legacy, Outback, Forester, Impreza, Subaru XV, and WRX.

If you’ve been following this small blog since it launched in 2011, you’ve always known that we cap off the year with our annual Top 5 Picks (see 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011). And unlike other award-giving body, we don’t categorize entries based on performance, price, or any other parameter. For this list, we’re grouping everything together.

EVAP and DTI Map Out Development Plans for Electric Vehicles

The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) together with the Department of Trade and Industry recently held a year-end meeting in order to map out the progress and formulate development plans for the domestic electric vehicle Industry for the coming year 2016 and thereafter.

Winner of Nissan Philippines' "Sylphy Transformation" Awarded

When Nissan Philippines set out the call for entries in the “Sylphy Transformation” online promo, over 500 entries were received. Nissan’s promo judges sifted through the many ways the contestants interpreted the process of transformation, keeping in mind the idea of “always innovating to be better, bolder, and more exciting versions of ourselves”, the same way how the Nissan Sylphy is the Sentra reborn.

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