Something for Everyone

It was one of those days when the members of the local motoring media, including yours truly, didn’t mind being herded around like sheep. After all, we were at the opening of the 4th Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) and we were ushered into the display pavilions of different car manufacturers to witness their lavishly prepared presentations.

Occupying 20,000 square meters of the World Trade Center in Pasay City, the MIAS is presented by its organizer, Worldbex Services International, as the biggest motoring event in the country. The auto show, which ran from April 3 Thursday and wrapped up last Sunday, April 6, gathered the biggest car manufacturers under one roof and there was indeed something for everyone, especially with displays from BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Chana, Chery, Dodge, FAW, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, JAC Automobiles, Jaguar, Jeep, Kama, Land Rover, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Sinski motorcycles, Subaru, Suzuki and other motoring-related products like Bridgestone tires, Michelin tires, Yokohama tires, Motul motor oils, Petron fuels and many more.

COTY and Interesting Cars

Petron constructed a faithful reproduction of their service station at the entrance of the World Trade Center where the Volvo C30, which won the 2007 Car of the Year (COTY), was prominently displayed. The COTY is in its 5th year and is awarded by the Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI), which is headed by veteran media personality Ira Panganiban and composed of Filipino journalists covering the motoring beat.

Across the Petron station, the Ford-sponsored Sinag solar race car was displayed to showcase the ingenuity of Filipino engineers and our readiness to harness the power of the sun to power motor vehicles. The MIAS also displayed two modified Nissan 350Z sports cars.

Mazda excited show goers with an upbeat launching of their Mazda MX-5 RHT or Retractable Hard Top 2-seat convertible sports car. The launch was hosted by model and showbiz personality, Sarah Meier and featured a hip and upbeat unveiling of the MX-5 RHT to go along with the Zoom-Zoom philosophy of Mazda. The ostentatious Mazda pavilion showcased the various Zoom-Zoom models including the Mazda3, Mazda6, Tribute and CX-9.

Ford, on the other hand, launched the Ford Focus TDCi race car of the Tuason Racing School (TRS).  TRS big boss, JP Tuason, who looked debonair in his business suit, explained the special features of the race car which has a stock Ford 4-cylinder TDCi diesel engine. With 300Nm of torque, this race car packs quite a wallop for racing. Ford Philippines president Rick Baker also pointed to the other Ford vehicles on display including the Expedition Eddie Bauer, Explorer, Everest, Ranger and Escape and invited the show goers to test drive select Ford vehicles on the off-road test course that the company set-up outside the WTC.

Subaru launched the Impreza WRX STi hatchback which drew a huge crowd from the performance-oriented audience. Motor Image managing director Glenn Tan described the high-performance features of the STI and invited the audience to witness the stunt driving and feats of precision driving of Russ Swift, who holds a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for precision driving.

Preferred Launch Venue

Two Chinese car manufacturers held successive launches during the MIAS.  Chery Automobiles, which is distributed by Iseway Motors Corporation in the country, launched its latest model, the Chery A-1. The A-1 is a 4-cylinder economy car and strengthens the Chery model line-up by offering an affordable model that is slightly bigger than the Chery QQ. The A-1 launch was followed by the launch of Chana automobiles and its flagship model, the Benni, which is another economy car from China and is available with an automatic transmission and Chana EVP Robert Lim announced that all Chana models will be priced below P500,000.  Two Chinese truck makers, Kama and JAC Automobiles also displayed their work vehicles.

Bridgestone tires launched their new Turanza AR10 passenger car tire model with a spectacular display. The general manager of Bridgestone’s local distributor, Philippine Allied Enterprises Corporation, Marc Louie Tagle described driving on the AR10s as an experience in a new level of smoothness, perfect safety and complete quietness. Motul motor oils distributor AutoPlus Sportzentrum (Phils.) displayed the Motul 350Z touring car along with other high performance machinery including a Porsche GT3 sports car, a Big Dog Motorcycles custom chopper and a BMW R1100S Boxer Cup Replika.

At the adjoining extension wing of the WTC, MIAS displayed race vehicles, modified rides and vintage vehicles and provided booths for various automotive aftermarket suppliers. Especially eye-catching were the mint restored cars of Route 66, which includes a green 1966 Chevrolet Corvette, a gold 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible, a white Mercedes-Benz 230SL pagoda top, a silver Mercedes-Benz 280CE and a brown 1971 Datsun 240Z. Equally interesting were a silver 1969 Corvette Stingray, a red-and-white 1955 Chevy Bel-Air, a modified 1967 Ford Mustang and a stock 1965 Mustang, a WWII Willys Jeep with a 50-caliber machine gun, and the fastest Honda Civic hatchback race car in the country. There was even an LPG-powered Ford E150 and a bullet-proof Expedition complete with two mannequins dressed as terrorists armed with an M-16 Armalite and an M-1 Garrand.

Truly, there was something for everyone’s automotive interests at the 4th Manila International Auto Show 2008.