Chevy celebrates 102 years with Motorama

MANILA, Philippines - “Last November 3, Chevrolet celebrated its 102nd birthday,” remarked a spirited Atty. Albert Arcilla, President and Managing Director of The Covenant Car Company Inc. (TCCCI)—the exclusive importer and distributor of Chevrolet automobiles and parts in the Philippines—during his opening speech at the Chevrolet Motorama inauguration held last November 14 at the SM Mall of Asia. “The Motorama is our venue to showcase the brand’s high standard of quality, capitalizing on the latest automotive engineering and technology. It is also a venue for our customers to experience Chevrolet’s brand of service and array of exciting high-quality vehicles to suit every life stage ,” he explained.

It was both literally and figuratively the place with the coolest deals from Chevrolet, as the display venue was held on the Ice Skating Rink of SM MOA. The 4-day Motorama, which ran from November 14-17, was the culmination of Chevy’s 3-month long auto festival, and treated its visitors with a fabulous display of cars, awesome financing deals, and even live entertainment from artists such as Patti Grandidge and Princess Velasco. Enthusiasts new to Chevy also had the opportunity to test drive some vehicles within the area, while loyal customers had the chance to avail of free diagnostic check-ups for their Chevy vehicles. Meanwhile Chevrolet’s aftersales booth also showed off the brand’s line of fancy aftermarket accessories.

The Chevrolet Motorama 2013 auto display included the Spark hatchback, Sonic subcompact, Orlando MPV, Colorado pickup and Cruze compact sedan. It likewise had an amazing display of vintage examples of the timeless Malibu and iconic Camaro. Chevrolet also took this opportunity to introduce its latest models, namely: the Malibu Executive Sedan, the Spin (a 7-seater people mover), and Trailblazer 4x2 automatic SUV, to the public.

“Almost one year ago, the brand was a virtual newcomer in the medium SUV segment when we launched the Chevrolet Trailblazer,” pointed out Atty. Arcilla.  “Now, one-year later, we are very happy to announce that we are a strong contender in the high-trim, 4X4 AT medium SUV segment and we have just begun to set foot in the highly competitive 4X2 AT sub-segment,” he added. As a matter of fact, Chevrolet’s sales performance growth as of October this year is a whopping 50-plus percent, in comparison with last year’s (2012) full-year performance. And what started off as a network of 12 Chevrolet dealerships 48 months ago, is now an impressive 20 dealerships nationwide. By the first quarter of 2014, this statistic is expected to rise to a total of 29 operational dealers.

It was also at this same event that Chevy introduced its brand new MyLink infotainment system—a premium system that allows drivers and passengers to share multimedia files from mobile devices through a USB connected to Chevrolet’s infotainment system. This way, everyone’s smartphones can be wirelessly paired with Chevy’s state-of-the-art touchscreen and MyLink panel, so that everyone can share their music, photos and videos and also enjoy the convenience of hands-free cellphone calls and voice command options.

“Chevrolet is working its way into the Filipino hearts and minds and we will continue to do this by ensuring that we always have a sustainable competitive advantage, a strong and diverse product portfolio, excellent aftersales services and well-equipped dealer partners,” exclaimed a proud Atty. Arcilla.

Furthermore, Chevrolet also announced its initiated efforts to help the local community; first, by embarking the mission of the One World Futbol Project; and second, by donating to the victims of the recent catastrophe caused by super-typhoon Yolanda. The former is a global project that aims to inspire potential young soccer players in marginalized areas around the world by distributing 17,000 nearly indestructible (never goes flat, and never needs a pump) One World Futbols to children located in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas and other underprivileged communities so they can learn to play a sport, no matter what their circumstance.

Meanwhile, funds for Yolanda victims were spontaneously raised during the event, when members of the media agreed to auction off their raffle prizes, the proceeds of which shall go to the Yolanda relief fund. TCCCI even agreed to match whatever amount was raised that night from the auction, effectively doubling the amount that will be given as donation. This is on top of Chevy’s efforts to gather donations from the public via drop-off points within their dealer network, and even at the actual Motorama event.

“With our new and exciting models and sales offers, equipped and well-trained aftersales group, and a dedicated and strong 20-dealer network nationwide, Chevrolet is now, more than ever, ready to ‘Find New Roads’,” expressed an inspired Atty. Arcilla.

The Chevrolet Spin comes in three models (introductory price): 1.3-liter turbodiesel (CRDi) 5-speed manual transmission LS at P798,888; 1.3-liter turbodiesel (CRDi) 5-speed manual transmission LTZ at P908,888 and 1.5-liter gasoline 6-speed automatic LTZ at P838,888.

The Chevrolet Malibu LTZ, powered by a 2.4-liter ECOTEC DOHC 16V Dual-VVT with 6-speed automatic transmission LTZ goes for P1,498,888 while the 2014 Chevrolet Trailblazer with the 2.8-Liter Duramax DOHC 16V CRDi VGTi, 4X2 with 6-speed automatic retails for P1,488,888.