A big bang for less than a hundred

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) showed the way again as to how things should be done, or didn’t have to.

Last Tuesday, June 19th, the most awaited Toyota 86 sports coupe was launched at the Subic International Airport with loyal customers, dealers, the media, friends of Toyota and a full complement of TMP executives in attendance.

It was indeed a well-attended event despite many of the guests having to drive close to a hundred kilometers just to have a glimpse of what was then called FT-86 concept sports car in past Tokyo Motor Shows.

And TMP pulled all stops just to unveil a sports car that’s been patterned after the 1982 Toyota AE86, vaunted to have never relied on beastly horsepower but instead on a combination of lightweight design, responsive power and perfect balance. Nothing was spared just so the guests could witness the reborn of the legendary Toyota 86 sports coupe bearing the spirit and heart of its long line of pedigreed predecessors; the 2000GT, Sports 800 and the AE86.  

And for TMP, having a grand presentation and unveiling, typical of most Toyota events, was not enough for the ‘86’. The next day the media were given a “hands-on” experience by way of a grueling test drive in the airport tarmac where most motoring journalists who took the wheel had nothing but praise for the its perceived power, speed and exacting maneuverability, not to mention cockpit comfort, which is not common to most sports cars of similar size.  

As gleaned from no less than the president of TMP, Michinobu Sugata, who drove one of the three variants of Toyota 86 up the stage dressed in racing uniform, the creation of the ‘86’ was fueled by Toyota’s years of engineering, innovation and lengthy racing heritage. 

For those who may not have read the many articles written about the Toyota 86 sports coupe here in the Star and in other publications, it is simply (an understatement) a real-wheel drive sports car (you should have seen how Filipino drift-master David Feliciano tossed it around like how Italian chefs wantonly toss their pizzas) that is powered by a 2.0 liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder boxer engine, which delivers 200hp and 205nm of torque mated to a 6-speed automatic or manual transmission gearbox.

The ‘86’ comes in 7 stylish colors: Satin White Pearl, Sterling Silver Metallic, Orange Metallic, Lightning Red, Galaxy Blue Silica, Dark Gray Metallic and Crystal Black Silica.

It comes in 3 different variants: Manual Transmission priced at P1,550,000, Automatic Transmission priced at P1,650,000 and a sportier Aero variant is also available which features a wrap-around body kit and a rear spoiler priced at P1, 875,000. A White Pearl color option is also available on all variants for an additional P15,000.

During the test drive sessions at the Subic International Airport tarmac I was a little hesitant to join the long queue as I was telling myself that anyway I could have that for my usual week-long test drive until I was informed of the limited number of units (less than a hundred!) that have been appropriated this year for the Philippines considering its world-wide strong demand. That would not be enough even just for the dealers alone who would want to have their personal units for themselves.

So, why the big bang for less than a hundred?   

I guess, that’s the Toyota way of doing things—even if they didn’t have to.

Renewed partnership

During the month of May of last year saw Columbian Autocar Corporation (CAC), the exclusive distributors of Kia vehicles in the Philippines inked a partnership of support with the then country’s fast-rising football team, the Philippine Azkals.

Since that time CAC has been present in all of the Azkals’ matches to demonstrate Kia’s full support for these talented athletes who have been representing the country in local and international football competitions while most of the team’s players have also expressed their support for Kia in various occasions.

With a year of exciting collaborations with the team, CAC demonstrated its full satisfaction with the partnership by an extension of the contract for a second year as the “Azkals’ official transport provider”.

I was a witness to the ceremonial and official inking of the agreement that was held at the Azkals Sports Bar at the Fort Strip at the Bonifacio Global City and I also took the opportunity to ask on-camera for the TV shows Motoring Today and Auto Focus, CAC’s charming lady president, Ginia Domingo to what she attributes the astonishing 89% sales increase of Kia vehicles on YTD from January to May 2012 and its healthy 5.5% total share of industry sales to merit 5th overall position on the same period and she hastily answered that it was primarily the market’s response to the all-new Kia Rio, “The demand for the all-new RIO and our other models, encourages us to continuously introduce vehicles that are expressions of the Kia brand’s commitment to create high quality cars with striking designs, that have minimal environmental impact. This philosophy, translated in the company slogan ‘Power to Surprise’ puts Kia cars at par with the world’s top brands, and translates to more Filipino consumers recognizing the undeniable value proposition of our vehicles.”

Dodie Ganac, vp marketing of CAC also shares similar views, “As Filipino motorists see more Kia vehicles on the road, and their friends and family buy Kia cars, they are able to appreciate our brand’s performance more and more. There’s the signature styling, the car’s responsiveness, the ride experience and many other factors all adding up to make the purchase decision of buying a Kia a very logical one.”

In the global scene, Columbian Autocar Corporation was recently awarded the Regional Distributor of the Year Award for the Asia Pacific Region. The award was given to honor the best performing Kia distributors in the Kia global network.

Top Bikes—the bikers’ mag

There are bikers and there are bikers, but regardless of any distinction most of them trooped to the Resorts World Manila Atrium last June 22 as Top Gear Philippines launched the maiden issue of “the ultimate magazine for the biker”—Top Bikes.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Brian Afuang, a top-notched motoring journalist (he’s the Manila Times motoring section editor) and an avid biker himself, described what to expect from the magazine that comes bundled with Top Gear Philippines’ June Issue and every quarter thereafter, “The most interesting and important motorbikes on the planet – including, those that manage to reach the Philippines – will get the attention they deserve by landing on our cover, replete with an excellent article on them. So flip through the next pages and enjoy the ride. After all, just as you are defined by the motorcycle you ride, you are also what you read.”

Our best wishes to Brian and Top Bikes.

People’s Choice voting starts July 1

The yearly public polls that determine the most preferred automobile models in each category and the “the year’s most popular automobile” starts this Sunday, and how would be a big surprise to everyone.

The 2012 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards presented by Caltex with Techron will be launched this Friday, June 29 at the Ballroom of the plush Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig City.

Aside from the country’s motoring media, the top executives of the different automobiles manufacturers and importers and those from the peripheral sectors of the auto industry are expected to attend the event.

Leading the array of keynote speakers are the leaders of two of the major industry associations; Mr. Rommel Gutierrez of CAMPI and Ms. Fe Perez-Agudo of AVID to be joined by Mr. Cezar T. Quiambao, the president of Stradcom, the IT provider of the LTO and major partner of Sunshine Television (STV), organizers of the annual polls, in determining the year’s winners by providing the documented sales of all participating models, an added innovation to this year’s staging. 

Aside from the inclusion of actual sales, which is “the ultimate act of preference or choice”, another innovation shall be introduced in this year’s voting process, which shall be announced during the launch.

Happy Motoring!!!

For comments: (e-mail) [email protected]