Sunday, February 26, 2012

Thailand flooding affects Ford Philippines


                                  Months ago, Thailand was hit by massive flooding that affected a lot of manufacturing plants especially in the automobile market. Most car dealerships here in our country imports cars from Thailand. An example is Ford Philippines, almost all of the vehicles in their lineup are sourced from Thailand.

                                   However, Ford Philippines is still confident that it will not affect their sales that much as they plan to introduce three all new models like the Ranger and Focus later this year with class leading features. They also plan to increase their dealerships across the country to make them more accessible.

Source: TopGearPH

Friday, February 24, 2012

Four upcoming vehicles from Hyundai

                               
                                 HARI (Hyundai Asia Resources Inc.), the exclusive distributor of Hyundai vehicles in our country might be bringing four new vehicles in the country. These vehicles are expected to boost up sales and increase their market share.


Hyundai Eon 


                                                 
                                                 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

                                             source: http://jalopnik.com/hyundai-genesis-coupe/

                                 The first one is the Hyundai Eon, a 5 door city car manufactured in India which is expected to arrive just in time. The second vehicle is the updated Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the last two are the all new Santa Fe and the Veloster.

Monday, February 20, 2012

LTFRB accepts franchises for electric Jeepneys


                                Philippines has been known to have unique, colorful jeepneys plying around the metro. These jeeps have been part of our history ever since the second world war. However, due to the increasing of their number, it became one of the contributors of pollution in our country.



                                Thus, the e-Jeepney was born. These are electric powered small golf cart sized public utility vehicles which are believed to be replacing dirty old petrol jeeps. However, some might argue that their smaller size would not fit alot of people, and charging stations are still scarce. Design wise, they are shorter and lower compared jeepneys, which makes it even harder to cross floods. 

                                And in my opinion, these e-jeepneys are far from the traditional look of the jeepney. I suggest that they should also try to design another one that resembles the traditional look of jeepneys. So what do you think guys? Will it take over our roads? Comment down and share your inputs!


Source: TopGear.com,ph


Friday, February 17, 2012

Honda Philippines announces the updated Jazz

 
                            Yesterday, I posted about the all new Civic's launch here in the Philippines. But it looks like Honda's not done yet. introducing, the Special Edition Honda Jazz. Also imported from the land of the rising sun, this Jazz comes in a new funky color, Fresh Lime. 



                              Updates include audio controls in the steering wheel (same as the new Civic). Manual level adjuster for the headlamps, leather wrapped steering wheel, roof mounted rear passenger seat belts, integrated audio system with external connection ports for mobile devices and an upper glove box compartment which is linked to the air conditioning (great for cooling drinks when stuck in traffic/road trips). 

       According to TopGearPH the price is PHP 899,000   

              Do you think it's worth the price? comment below and share your thoughts! :)


SOURCE: TopGear.com.ph

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Honda Cars Philippines introduces the All-new Civic

                          
                           Several months ago, Thailand was hit by devastating floods, resulting in damages of homes as well as manufacturing plants. This affected  not only the car industry as but also the tech industry. Companies couldn't keep up with the high demand, thus increasing some of their products' prices due to limited supplies. 



                           Honda immediately responded by sourcing out their cars from Japan. These CBUs (completely built units) are made in Japan and exported to different countries like the Philippines. One example is the all new Civic, some might think it still hasn't changed much and kinda boring, but several improvements accompanied the new design. In my opinion, it still looks good as the current Civic being sold, but it reminds me of its smaller brother, which is the City. 



                                                 Sporty yet Classy exterior



                                           Futuristic and well designed dashboard

            Updates for the All new Civic:
  
1. New dashboard with multiple screens for temperature, back up camera, door    sensors, etc. 
2. Audio control equipped leather steering wheel plus a button for hands free calling (cool, huh?)
3. ECON button for smart, fuel efficient driving which controls the gas pedal pressure, thus minimizing the fuel consumption even if you step harder. (I really need this! LOL) 
4. An upcoming all new 2.0 engine for the top of the range variant (HCPI currently has only 1 variant, the 1.8 EXI)
5. No paddle shifters for the 1.8 variant. (An update could bring it soon)

           Price: 1.074 Million Pesos (Old Civic's price is Php 978,000)

           So, that's it guys, do you think this new Civic's features is worth the nearly 100,000 price bump? Comment below and share your inputs! :)

Source: TopGear Philippines

Note: I don't own any of the images in this post, if you want them to be removes, just leave a message. thanks! :)

Monday, February 13, 2012

Another road closed to make way for movie shooting

                          It has been weeks already since the shooting of The Bourne Legacy Movie. Several roads had been closed and even public markets are included. MMDA recently announced that another major road will be closed on February 11 and 13, starting at 1 AM.

 You can check this link for the traffic reroutes: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/ramon-magsaysay-blvd-to-be-closed-for-bourne-legacy-shoot

Friday, February 10, 2012

Newly opened Chevrolet Cars dealer in Cebu

                    Since the start of 2011, TCCCI (The Covenant Car Company Inc.), the official distributor of Chevrolet cars in the country has been gaining profit with the introduction of the all new Spark and Cruze. Their 36.4 percent sales growth made them open up a new dealership in Cebu.


                                                    (Source: TopGear.com.ph)

                          Located in Mandaue City, the Chevrolet Cebu is considered to be the larges Chevrolet dealer in the Philippines. Owned by Genesis Motors Corporation, it offers customer lounges, kiddie corner and an extensive service work bay. They will also target different towns like Bohol and others. Several government officials and representatives were also present in the inauguration of the said dealership.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Mitsubishi Montero Sport to be available in Gasoline engine version





        (Source: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/mitsubishi-to-offer-gasoline-montero-sport-soon)

                    Recently, TopGear Philippines was able to test drive a gasoline fed Montero Sport from Mitsubishi Motors Philippines. Under the hood, is the 3.0 liter V6 MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control) engine from its Crossover Utility Vehicle brother, the  Outlander which is currently not available in our market now. 

                               Mitsubishi said that the gasoline Montero Sport will compete with the Toyota Fortuner which has a 2.7 liter VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) gasoline  engine. A representative from Mitsubishi also said that it will come in limited stocks and for the pricing, it will be priced closely to the current diesel fed Montero Sport due to the engine's high displacement.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

A French car maker making a comeback?





                      (2013 Peugeot 208 SOURCE: http://plugai.com/2013-peugeot-208/)
                            
                         Rumors are spreading that Peugeot, a European automobile manufacturer, will be coming back to the Philippines. It has been 9 years since AutoFrance Philippines brought in 3 models from the company, but due to the high exchange rates of Euros to Philippine Pesos, they can't price their cars competitively. 

                        This year, PSA Peugeot Citroen, the mother company, is planning to expand globally. Their aim is to sell 50 percent of their cars outside of Europe. Luckily, the Philippines is part of this project. They also had their ground breaking ceremony recently in their plant in India, which is also one of the Philippines' source of cars. So, do you think Peugeot cars will reach the Philippine shores again? 

Source: TopGear.com.ph

Saturday, February 4, 2012

My favorite Car! :)



                       Good evening everyone! I'm back! For my first post, I'm going to share you my favorite car; the second generation Mitsubishi Lancer EX. It may not be the fastest, most expensive super car, but for me, its boxy figure creates a unique look that differentiates the Lancer EX from modern curvy cars. 




                                 

                      It also became my favorite because it was our very first family car. I've had a lot of fun and unforgettable memories every time the whole family goes out for a trip. Although some might ask why choose an old car instead of a brand new one, I always say that this particular model is very special to me. Most of us would not want to forget something that has   sentimental value right? :)


                   
   (Philippine brochure in the 80s courtesy of Ian R. J. Reyes of Mitsubishi Lancer Box Type Philippines group  https://www.facebook.com/groups/MitsubishiLancerBoxters/

Short info about the Lancer EX
        - Announced in Japan in 1979 as the successor of the first generation Lancer
   - Popularly known in the Philippines as the "Box-Type" Lancer (Lancers are        distinguished by their tail lights, this model has a rectangular tail light shape thus creating its nickname)
       - Offered in 3 different trims in our country (SL for Saloon (entry), GSR (middle spec) and the top of the line GT)
       - It was available in 3 different engines from 1.2 Liter 4G33, 1.6 Liter 4G32, and the rare 1.8 liter 4G62 engine
     - Available in 3 different transmissions, the rare 3 Speed Automatic, 4 Speed Manual and the 5 Speed Manual gearbox.

       (Ours was a 1983 model with an Automatic transmission; I'll try to post some pictures if my schedule will let me.)

(NOTE: I don't own any of these pictures above, if you own any pictures and want them to be removed, please leave a message! Thanks!)

Thursday, February 2, 2012

              Hi guys! My name's Rem. I created this blog for everyone who wants to be updated with the Philippine car industry, as well as new trends in Technology. To start off, I'm gonna tell you guys a little bit of history about the blogger.
            
              I am passionate about cars, trucks even buses, or basically anything that has an engine and wheels. haha! My dad greatly influenced me with cars and we usually hang out with my uncle in his garage. I may not have driven most cars but I'm pretty sure I can give you the best advices coming from different experiences from owners themselves. 

             As for the technology side, it all started out when my mother got herself a Nokia 3210, I always play with it every time, and because of curiosity, I started reading tech blogs and other sites when I learned how to use the internet. 

             Well, that's it for now. I hope you follow my blog and if you've got great ideas to share, don't hesitate to leave a comment or message me and I'll be glad to help you. :)