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September 25, 2013

Car Vs. Wild: Off-Roading in Malaysia with Gary and Bill, Stars of Discovery Channel's Latest Show

Photos by Ulysses Ang

JOHOR, MALAYSIA—From the air-conditioned comfort of our SUV, I could see the trail getting noticeably smaller and smaller. As our convoy of 26 off-roaders slowly made its way through the muddy and sandy trail, the trees started to cave in, blocking what should have been the midday tropical sun. Soon, the trees thinned out and the mud turned into hardened, petrified sand. Only then did Gary Humphrey and Bill Wu jump down from their Jeep Wrangler, letting out a wide grin that almost said, “Now the real work begins.”

UPDATED: Philippine Car Price Guide: September 2013

Since the Volkswagen launch is a major event, we've decided to do a second update for the September 2013 Philippine Car Price Guide. Again, here are the notable additions for the month:

BYD
Isuzu D-MAX
Kia Rio 1.4 EX-S
Mitsubishi Mirage G4
Toyota 86 Aero M/T
Toyota Avanza (updated)
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Fortuner 2.5 V 2WD
Toyota Hilux (updated)
Toyota Innova 2.5 G Limited
Toyota Vios Cup Car
Volkswagen

Volkswagen Reveals Initial Philippine Line-Up, Prices; Launch Celebration this September 28-29.

“Third time’s a charm,” opened Mr. John Philip Orbeta, Chairman and President of Ayala Automotive Holdings Corporation, the parent company of Automobile Central Enterprises, Inc. (ACEI), the newly appointed distributor of Volkswagen vehicles in the Philippines, as he laid down the company’s plans to launch the hotly-anticipated German brand back to the local market.

After the action-packed Rounds 1 and 2 last month in Libis, the 2013 Hyundai Lateral Drift Championship is now set for Round 3 this coming September 28, 2013 at the Clark International Speedway in Clark, Pampanga.

Nothing comes close to the thrill of motor racing—the smell of petrol in the air, the sound of free-flowing exhaust reverberating in the spectator stands; it’s a unique and complete sensory experience. For some, they’ve felt it through Formula 1 or NASCAR, but for most Filipinos, motor racing, particularly circuit racing is an alien concept. However, the country’s number one car manufacturer aims to change all that. This October 2013, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is announcing its comeback into the world of motorsports with the Vios Cup.

Inspired by contemporary, progressive Scandinavian lifestyle and design as well as iconic elements from the past, the elegant new Volvo Concept Coupé is the first of a series of three concept cars that reveal the design possibilities created by the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA).

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) lets you celebrate with its September deals for CR-V, Civic, City and Jazz.

Felipe Massa Excites Philippine Formula One Fans

Last week, Filipino motoring enthusiasts and Formula One fans had the chance to meet Scuderia Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa.

It’s the rainy season once again! Before driving off into wet roads, make sure your car is in proper condition and you’re driving safely on the road. Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. in its continuous adherence to safety for all its customers now offers promos that are designed to keep you and your vehicles safe during the rainy season.

Chairman Richard J. Gordon of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) receives a PhP 1 million donation from Ford Group Philippines managing director, Kay Hart (second from left) and AVP for Government and Corporate Affairs, Josie Gonzalez (far left) to support ongoing relief efforts and livelihood programs of the PRC across the Philippines.

AVID Quells "Ghost Month"; Sales Up 30 Percent

The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) performed against the odds in August, growing by an impressive 30% compared to the same month a year ago, ending the period with 2,411 units sold against 1,858 in August of the previous year.

Mileage for Adventure: Bridgestone Ecopia Ecorun

Photos by Ulysses Ang

My muscles tensed up, anticipating the slack of the rope. I could feel my heart beat as the wooden handle tightened, sending me across the wakeboarding course in the hopes of clearing a set of orange buoys. Clearly, this isn’t your average fuel economy fun run. Then again, the Bridgestone Ecopia isn’t your average fuel economy tire.

Isuzu Philippines Corporation Launches All-New D-Max

Photos by Ulysses Ang

What were you doing in November 2003? The month the Concorde supersonic jet made its last ever flight over Bristol, England, Isuzu Philippines Corporation launched a game-changing pick-up called the D-Max to replace its venerable Fuego range. Amidst intense competition from its rivals, the D-Max has remained one of Isuzu’s perennial best-sellers, garnering an unbelievable 44-percent market share at one point. A decade later and 20,000 satisfied owners later, Isuzu’s hoping to continue its hot streak with the launch of the all-new D-Max—the model’s first comprehensive model change since its launch.

Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC), the official importer and distributor of BMW cars in the Philippines, continues to celebrate its Decade of Leadership in the luxury vehicle segment with the groundbreaking of its biggest and most modern showroom in the country, the BMW Bonifacio Global City.

Review: 2013 Mazda CX-5 AWD Sport

The crossover utility vehicle or crossover for short is a segment that came about by addressing the needs of the customers who wanted the perks of a sports utility vehicle or SUV together with car-like comfort. Indeed, the modern day automotive industry is a buyer’s market. Gone are the days when consumers were limited to product A, product B, and product C – take it or leave it. Consumers now know what they want, buy what they want, and clamor for what they want. Mazda is one maker who actually listens to their customers and the CX-5 is proof of that.

Filipino movie goers are in for a high-speed treat this 2013 as “Rush,” the Hollywood recreation of the notable 1970’s rivalry between Formula 1 racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, is set to hit the big screen.

The epic action-drama film stars Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt and Daniel Brühl as Niki Lauda, and is directed by two-time Academy Award winning director Ron Howard. The movie takes the viewer into the golden age of F1, and the legendary rivals’ lives on and off the race track as they pursue the 1976 World Championship at Fuji, Japan.

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (HMC), one of the world’s leading motorcycle and automotive manufacturers, recently filed a lawsuit against Luzon Ram Cycle or Ramas-Uypitching Sons, Inc. (RUSI), a Dumaguete-based corporation, for allegedly selling and distributing motorcycles which infringe on five Honda patent and industrial designs in violation of the Intellectual Property Code.

The newest addition to Goodyear Philippines’ nation-wide branded retail network, HH Asia-Tyre Corporation, recently opened its doors at Doña Soledad Avenue in Bicutan, Parañaque City.

For businessmen Henry Chua and Harry Tang, who are behind HH Asia-Tyre Corporation, this latest venture is a confirmation of solid partnership with Goodyear Philippines which began 25 years before.

Hyundai Opens Pasong Tamo Dealership

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), official distributor of Hyundai cars in the Philippines, powers up its presence in the country's premier business hub, Makati City, poised to treat customers to a brilliant experience like no other.

About 10,000 members of the Ford Volunteer Corps – comprised of Ford employees, retirees and dealers - are joining together to tackle more than 200 projects on six continents during the eighth annual Ford Global Week of Caring.

The first quarter of the Kia Drive to 20 Raffle Promo came to a close last August 12, 2013 with executives of Columbian Autocar Corporation (CAC), exclusive distributor of Kia Motors in the Philippines, picking out 20 lucky winners of Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos smart phones, as well as the grand prize offered for the first quarter draw, a brand-new 2013 KIA Soul.

Over 160,000 mobile applications are made available to the reported 1.2 billion downloaders around the world and, developers continue to create applications for all kinds of needs, from gaming and social networking to productivity and even planning and mapping road trips.

In a country where what all motorists want is a simpler and faster route, Shell has designed the Shell Motorist App – a new tool that offers motorists a more convenient driving experience with features that will ease any kind of trip, may it be a 30-minute drive to work or a two-hour drive to the beach.

55 Years. 3 Days. 1 Celebration: Subaru Celebrates 55 Years with All-Wheel Drive Experience on September 20-22, 2013

Motor Image Pilipinas (MIP), the authorized distributor of Subaru in the Philippines, celebrates the 55th anniversary of Subaru since the sale of the first Subaru 360 in 1958. As part of the celebration festivities, MIP will hold a carnival featuring its first Subaru All-Wheel Drive Experience on 20-22 September 2013, at 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City.

According to the most recent CAMPI report, the best-selling vehicle in the Philippines has once again set its new sales record last August 2013. Since its introduction a decade ago, the Toyota Vios attained its highest sales volume registering 2,125 units in a single month compared to its previous highest sales posted in December 2012 of 1,760 units.

Peugeot Lipa Officially Opens

After launching Peugeot Las Piñas, Peugeot Cagayan de Oro, Peugeot Quirino, Peugeot Cebu and Peugeot Nueva Ecija earlier this year, Eurobrands Distributor Inc. (EDI), official importer of Peugeot vehicles in the country, together with South Auto-X Group, Inc., formally opened last September 7, 2013 the doors of Peugeot Lipa. Like all the previous Peugeot dealerships before it, Peugeot Lipa aims to provide the full Peugeot ownership experience to its customers while ascribing fully to Peugeot international standards. With the showroom’s opening, Peugeot has extended its reach to the Southern Luzon area. In the months to come, Peugeot will also open dealerships in Pasay, C-5 Pasig, Bacolod and Davao City. EDI has also revealed that all of the said dealerships will be full service dealerships with complete sales, service and after-sales facilities.

Motor Image Pilipinas, Inc. after holding the event in Cebu and Davao for the first time, with a total of 208 participants, went back in Manila to get the Top 7 winners who joined by winners from Cebu and Davao, and the rescheduled Pampanga to complete the Top 10 Challengers that will represent the Philippines in the Asian Finals in Singapore on October 26-29, 2013.

During the ‘2013 Tire of the Year Awards’ ceremony organized by Motor Trend magazine, Goodyear’s Assurance TripleMax was named ‘Tire of the Year 2013’ in China. As a relatively new product which only recently arrived in the market, the award is confirmation of the performance and quality of the ATM tires and a testament to the level of positive feedback it has received from the market. This award will help ATM make further gains in the Chinese market as its official badge of entry into Goodyear’s highly acclaimed all-star lineup of products.

Review: 2013 Honda Accord S-V 3.5 V6

Photos by Ulysses Ang

A long time ago, in a lifetime far, far away, Philippine executives only had a handful of choices when it comes to buying a full-fledged luxury (mid-sized) sedan. Before the Toyota Camry, Mazda6, and Subaru Legacy, there was the Toyota Corona and the Mitsubishi Galant. Soon, the Honda Accord joined the fray and it quickly became a recognizable nameplate. And then, the Toyota Camry happened and that pretty much killed the Galant and swept everyone away including Honda’s once popular flagship sedan. Soon though, the Accord clawed its way back into contention by introducing more luxury-focused models with new features that gave a feeling of comfort, class, and plushness. As the launch of the ninth-generation Accord looms near (Honda Cars Philippines refuses to give a launch window), it’s time to look back at the current model and how it stacks up against the competition some five years since its launch in 2008.

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