Photos by Ulysses Ang

We’re no stranger to the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. We’ve driven a modified “drift car” version before as well as the latest 3.8 V6 8AT. Now, we move on to the Car of the Year – Philippines’s sports car of the year, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Brembo.

Normally, a driver’s best ally in a car is the transmission. More than just the brute horsepower of the engine, it’s the transmission that determines how that power is transferred onto the wheels. It can amplify and/or reduce acceleration, top speed, and even fuel economy depending on the specific tuning involved. Given the importance of the gearbox, a sports car should only warrant the best. That’s why you often hear things like ‘positive action’, easily modulated clutch’, and ‘short throw shifting’ alongside ‘powerful acceleration’ and ‘exhilarating handling’. Unfortunately, it seems Hyundai engineers didn’t get the memo with the Genesis Coupe 2.0T.

Before Mercedes-Benz diversified their product portfolio to include everything from hot hatches to SUVs to supercars, they were highly renowned for the E-Class and S-Class. Though its designations may have changed (to reflect its positioning in the broadened Mercedes-Benz product range), both of these sedans continue the tradition of being the best in their respective classes. And now, CATS Motors, the country’s general distributor of Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off the new E-Class which the company touts as “one of its biggest mid-cycle enhancements in Mercedes-Benz history”.

On the court, Blue Eagle Kiefer Ravena nimbly maneuvers towards the basket to score victory for his team. This hardcourt hero known as “The Phenom” performs with grace under pressure and uses his smarts and a sense of sportsmanship as an ambassador of basketball.

The Peugeot 3008’s fuel-efficiency was put to the test by the media last Thursday, June 27 as EDI staged the Peugeot Eco Fun Run. EDI invited 20 media participants to drive the 1.6L e-HDi Peugeot 3008 variants 158 kilometers from Alabang to Batangas and back in normal driving conditions – meaning the vehicles’ airconditioners were turned on and the drivers maintained speeds well above the speed limit. Given Peugeot’s leadership in diesel technology, the media easily came up with significantly good fuel economy numbers.

The all-new 2014 Mazda3 compact five-door was revealed to the world during an event in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. After weeks of media speculation and numerous "leaked" images of enthusiast renderings, Mazda pulled the sheet off the highly-anticipated redesign. The all-new Mazda3 is engineered with the full complement of SKYACTIV technologies – a proprietary suite of fuel-efficient, performance-driven components and manufacturing philosophies – as well as the handsome styling of the KODO design language.

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. staged its fifth dealership groundbreaking at the future site of Honda Cars Marcos Highway last Sunday. Present at the ceremony were Mr. Tatsuya Natsume, President and General Manager of HCPI together with Ms. Helen Y. Dee, Chairman of the House of Investments and Mr. Medel Nera, President and CEO of the House of Investments. Honda Cars Marcos Highway is the seventh branch owned by the Yuchengco Group of Companies. Other dealerships are Honda Cars Quezon City, Marikina, Fairview, Manila, Kalookan and Greenhills that is anticipated to open at the end of the year.

Honda Cars Marcos Highway boasts of 2,500 sqm land area, located in the automotive hub of the vicinity. Customers coming from nearby cities will soon be able to check Honda’s latest vehicle line-up while being assisted by the friendly and well trained Sales Consultants. Customers will also have an easy access to the complete service facilities with preventive maintenance, general repair, and body and paint work. This dealership will truly be  a one-stop-shop dealership for all Honda customers.

BMW once again proved its superiority in engine technology with the victory of its TwinPower Turbo Technology at the International Engine of the Year Awards 2013.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology, fitted in the BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series, finished at the top of its displacement category, a repeat of BMW’s victory last year. The Engine of the Year Awards was presented at the Engine Expo fair in Stuttgart earlier this month.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2013 Initial Quality Study (IQS) has ranked the Kia Soul and Kia Sportage as leaders in the Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle and Sub-Compact CUV segments, respectively, in the U.S.  And, for the first time, Kia ranks among the automotive industry’s top 10 nameplates for initial quality.  The 2013 Soul ranked first in the Compact MPV segment for the second consecutive year, and the Sportage tied for the highest ranking in the Sub-Compact CUV category.

Ford Motor Company has announced the appointment of Jesus Metelo ‘Met’ Arias as managing director, Ford Vietnam, effective July 1. He will continue to report directly to Matt Bradley, president, Ford ASEAN.

Arias, who is currently serving as director, Customer Service Division, Ford ASEAN, based in Bangkok, Thailand, will replace Laurent Charpentier, who has been appointed operations director, Ford of France.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

After conquering the mountainous roads surrounding Sagada earlier this year with the all-new Forester, Subaru’s Philippine importer and distributor, Motor Image Pilipinas, decided to take on a very different challenge: the Subaru XV Suburban Drive. Ultimately, it has one goal: to prove that the XV is the perfect urban crossover. Cebu, the Philippines’s oldest city and a favorite vacation destination, played host to the first leg of the three-leg drive that saw a handful of Manila-based motoring journalists join several Cebu-based ones in driving the popular XV through the city’s various tourists spots.

Now gassing up at a Petron service station is going to be even more rewarding for Petron-BPI Mastercard cardholders with the “Double the Rebate” promo, running from now until September 6, 2013.

Every minimum single receipt fuel purchase of P1,500 charged to your Petron-BPI Mastercard at any BPI-affiliated Petron station qualifies you for a 6% rebate, effectively double the regular 3% rebate. Transactions of less than P1,500 will only earn the regular 3% rebate.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Peter Schreyer, you are an absolute genius. Normally, it’s hard to fall in love with the design of a sub-million peso car, and a sub-compact car no less. But take a look at the Kia Rio. We happened to drive the budget-friendly 1.2 SLX and now we have the 1.4 hatchback. A single glance is enough to tell you that this is one special car. From tip to stern, the Rio’s an absolute beauty. It’s avant-garde, sporty, sophisticated—there’s absolutely no weak point in the Rio’s design.

The Peugeot 3008 is a compact, spacious and responsible crossover. It represents a new and innovative offer, not only in the Peugeot range but also in today’s car market as a whole. Manufactured in Eastern France at Peugeot’s Sochaux manufacturing plant, its concept and specification has draw on all of Peugeot’s expertise and values.

As expected, the twelfth triumph for the four rings at Le Mans was one of the most difficult and hardest-fought ones. Following a change in the regulations for refueling that was made at short notice, the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars on average needed to do faster laps on the track to compensate for the additional pit stops – and did so in weather conditions that at times were extremely difficult.

German auto giant Volkswagen formally signed the appointment of Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. (ACEI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayala Corporation, as its Philippine distributor.

In a simple ceremony held at Ritz Carlton Hotel, Hongkong on 27 May 2013, Weiming Soh, President for Commercial Operations in Greater China/ASEAN affixed his signature on the Importeur Agreement with Fernando Zobel de Ayala, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ayala Corporation, and John Philip S. Orbeta, Chairman and President of Ayala Automotive Holdings Corporation (Ayala Auto) and Managing Director of Ayala Corporation.

Can Hyundai’s fuel-efficient vehicles get any better? They surely can.

Experience the new Accent 1.4L M/T with an engine and transmission upgrade that promises smoother acceleration and enhanced fuel frugality.

Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) showcased their truck superiority by holding their annual Truck Fest at the Le Pavillion in Pasay City last June 20 to 22.

Cementing their reputation as the country’s best-selling truck brand, Isuzu showed off various body applications that can be used in numerous business and service applications. Displayed were an aluminum van, boom crane, cargo dropside, articulated crane with dropside, fuel tanker, mobile testing van, aerial platform, cargo crane, rivet-less aluminum van with power tail lift, and wing van. Also available for viewing were trucks in their cab-and-chassis form, as well as a bus chassis and a tractor head.

After showing good speed and finishing in 4th place in Friday's 2nd practice, Marlon Stockinger qualified in 6th place this morning for Saturday's sprint race in the World Series by Renault 3.5L category at the Moscow Raceway.

Stockinger finished the race in 8th place overall and 3rd in the rookie class, scoring 4 points for his team, with team mate Marco Sorensen finishing in 10th place.

Rolls-Royce is the ultimate statement that’s part car, part masterpiece. Known for its unparalleled attention to detail, each Rolls-Royce automobile is individualized to an owner’s discerning taste, taking at least 450 man-hours to handcraft at the company’s Goodwood manufacturing plant in the United Kingdom. It’s this quest for perfection that has prevented the British luxury carmaker to appoint an importer-dealer in the Philippines before. Now, all of that’s changed with the official appointment of British Bespoke Automobiles as the official importer-dealer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in the Philippines.

The normal or typical test drive for me involves getting a car from a manufacturer and putting it through its paces for a couple of days. Last week though, Petron Corporation offered a unique test drive—one that involved my own car, but with one slight change: a full tank of Petron Blaze 100 Euro 4.