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February 25, 2013

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.”

BMW to Hold First Road Show at Malarayat Golf & Country Club in Lipa

Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC), the official importer and distributor of BMW vehicles in the Philippines, will be holding the first leg of the BMW Roadshow on February 22 to 24 at the Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club in Lipa City, Batangas.

2012 was a milestone for the BMW brand in the Philippines. BMW solidified its positioning as the number one vehicle brand in the luxury segment for 10 straight years, finishing the year with a total of 33% market share in the premium luxury segment.

Nissan Almera at Trinoma Mall Until Today

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc. (NMPI) is holding a grand display featuring the all-new Nissan Almera at the TriNoma Mall in Quezon City. The display, located at the mall’s ground floor at the MRT-link, will be held until today, February 13.

To highlight the upcoming Valentine’s Day as well, a fully-accessorized Nissan Almera sporting a Victoria red hue is also included in the display.

Following TriNoma, the all-new Nissan Almera will also be featured at other popular malls in the metro. What’s more, a test drive activity will be held by all Nissan dealerships nationwide from February 15.

Review: 2013 Nissan Teana 350XV V6

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Ninety-nine percent of those in the market for an executive sedan tend to gravitate towards the usual choices: Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and now, the Hyundai Sonata. Those choices are undoubtedly great ones, but there’s one car that should be mentioned in the same breath, if only it got more recognition: the Nissan Teana. Taking its name from the Native American word meaning “dawn”, the current Teana was launched more than two years ago, after its immediate predecessor replaced the venerable and wildly successful Cefiro. Sadly, the Teana hasn’t seen the same commercial success as its forbearer which is a shame given it’s got nifty cues which pulls the right strings for its intended audience.

Honda's Amazing Financing Options Extended

Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI), in partnership with BPI Family Savings Bank, RCBC Savings Bank, BDO, PS Bank, Eastwest Bank and Unionbank has extended the Honda Financing Option Program until February 28, 2013, extending customers’ ease of buying a Honda vehicle.

The Honda Financing Option provides customers with true savings through interest rate as low as 5.43% on low monthly scheme; as low as 10% down payment, or an all in package scheme inclusive of chattel mortgage, LTO registration and a one year comprehensive insurance; plus an inclusion of 3 years preventive maintenance if customers avail through Eastwest Bank. Unlike the financing schemes of other brands that offer huge discounts but eventually recover this through astronomical interest rate.

There are track days, and there’s the Audi Driving Experience—a track day unlike any other, allowing mere mortals to flog cars with more than 500 horsepower on a race track. The Audi Driving Experience is a carefully crafted immersion experience into the world of Audi and everything the company stands for, namely: performance engineering.

Volvo opens its doors to all Volvo enthusiasts at the northern metro through Volvo North EDSA Centris. (From L-R) Volvo North EDSA Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman, Mr. William Tan with Mr. Vincent Licup, Chairman and CEO of Vovo North EDSA receives the Official Volvo Dealer Plaque presented by Volvo Cars Asia Pacific President, Mr. Carl Goran Larsson. The Volvo North EDSA Centris is located at Two Cyberpod ETON Centris, EDSA corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. Call (+632) 376 4943, 376 4947, 376 4965 for a test drive.

February 8, 2013

Accent CRDi Now Available at All Hyundai Dealerships

All the smoke and mirrors are finally gone as Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) has finally made available the much-awaited Accent CRDi. In fact, there's better news: it's now available at all Hyundai dealerships nationwide.

Continuing the momentum of its record month and quarterending in December, Ford Philippines today reported the company’s best-ever January performance with retail sales jumping 123 percent year-over-year to 820 units. The exceptional month was driven by strong sales across the growing Ford lineup.

The record month was given a significant boost by the robust performance of the all-new Ford Focus, with January sales of 95 units – the strongest single month for the Focus nameplatein almost three years.

News Flash: the Toyota Camry has been voted by the Korea Automobile Journalist Association as the Car of the Year 2013. The medium-sized sedan earned the highest score of 78.75 points for its value on price, performance, safety and fuel efficiency. On top of that, Toyota's Lexus GS and Prius Hybrid were no. 1 in performance and green-car categories, respectively. This is the first time a foreign model has earned this title since the award was presented three years ago.

Moreover, the Camry is one of the best-selling import cars in Korea. During the same period of winning this title, Toyota’s sales in Korea soared over 200% in 2012 compared to the previous year. In the Philippines, the Camry has been the best-selling model in its segment since 2001.

You can read our review of the Philippine model Toyota Camry 2.5 V here.

Vent It Out Friday: Paying Your (Association) Dues

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.

Upon opening my mailbox, I received a formally written letter which will undoubted become ubiquitous to anyone living in a private subdivision or condominium: VAT on association dues. We have Ms. Kim Henares to thank for the additional financial burden that we’ll have to shoulder each and every month, but I have no qualms about that. If it’s going to help the country, why not? Although the additional P 720.00 per month is somewhat hard to swallow, my real beef is with the P 6,000 in association dues per se, especially if the building association is happily swimming in my money and not doing anything.

Philippine Car Price Guide: February 2013

Here's your monthly does of the Philippine Car Price Guide. In this installment we see some changes from some luxury brands as well as updates from some mainstream brands as well. New and updated entries include:

Audi A4
Audi Q3
Bentley
Haima Hunda
Haima Tenda
Kia Sorento 2.2 EX 4WD 7-Seater (FL)
Lifan Foison
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
MINI Price Updates
Mitsubishi Strada GLX 4WD
Nissan Murano Z51 (price update)
Nissan Patrol Royale (price update)
Rolls-Royce
Toyota Vios (price update)

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February 25, 2013

All-New Bentley Flying Spur to Debut in Geneva

UPS Joins as Ferrari F1 Sponsor

MIT Technology Review Names Audi as 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World

February 22, 2013

Berjaya Auto Philippines Introduces Mazda YOJIN3

Vent It Out Friday: Turning Marikina for the Worse

February 19, 2013

Review: 2012 Toyota Prius and 2012 Toyota Prius C

CAGI Elects New Board, Executive Committee

February 18, 2013

AVID Remains Upbeat in 2013

February 15, 2013

Vent It Out Friday: Be Smart and Test Drive

February 14, 2013

BMW to Hold First Road Show at Malarayat Golf & Country Club in Lipa

February 13, 2013

Nissan Almera at Trinoma Mall Until Today

February 12, 2013

Review: 2013 Nissan Teana 350XV V6

February 11, 2013

Honda's Amazing Financing Options Extended

An Experience Like No Other: The Audi Driving Experience

Volvo North EDSA Centris is Now Open

February 8, 2013

Accent CRDi Now Available at All Hyundai Dealerships

Ford Philippines Posts Best-Ever January Performance; Sales More Than Double

Toyota Camry Named Korean Car of the Year

Vent It Out Friday: Paying Your (Association) Dues

Philippine Car Price Guide: February 2013