Are passenger car prices really going down?

With the approval and eventual implementation of the New Excise Tax Law it is deemed that prices of vehicles in some categories would go up while others would go down — like that of passenger cars.

Correct?

"Yes, but then, maybe not," is the reply of Mr. Daniel Isla, first VP for marketing of Toyota Motor Philippines, who I fondly call "Pareng Ringo", being an avid Beatles lover with a clinical knowledge of the "Fab Four" equal to that of the Inquirer’s Al "Pareng Paul" Mendoza, another recognized true blue "Beatlemaniac".

"With the current tailspin of the value of the peso against the dollar, passenger cars may at best maintain their prices or worse even go higher while the AUVs and SUVs and other expensive vehicles might even have higher prices that were expected upon the implementation of the newly approved Excise Tax Law."

This was how Danny described the disappointing scenario that’s unfolding in the local automotive industry when he called me up one early morning awaken from a deep slumber by the phone’s ringing, after an editing session of some of my TV shows which ended only a few hours ago early that morning. Well, as the song goes, "That’s what friends are for".

But seriously, those who have been postponing their purchases while waiting for the implementation of the New Excise Tax law might be in for a big surprise of not seeing the expected lowering of price tags of passenger cars.

I guess the passing of the bill just took so long and some events that recently happened have also triggered some unexpected adverse scenarios. I don’t think the car manufacturers are to be blamed for this development. But who knows, things might just turn out for the better — for everybody.

The Diesel Fuel We Are All Waiting For?

Unioil chairman, Mr. Paul C. T. Co assured me in our short chat during the launching of "Pure Diesel" last week that with that launch, we now have the same quality of diesel fuel that’s being used in Europe, the US and in most countries of the world.

It may not be common knowledge but the diesel fuel that we have been buying is not exactly of the same quality than that sold in the countries mentioned. Many are saying that because of this, quite a number of the modern-day high-tech diesel-fueled vehicle models are not brought in to the country because their performance would not be optimized with the quality of diesel fuel that we have.

Paul also added that producing this kind of fuel by any of the "Big Three" in the oil industry (Petron, Shell, & Caltex) would require additional refining process and additives, which may translate to increased pump prices.

"Pure Diesel" is imported from Singapore and marketed here in the country by the combined efforts of new oil players in the industry — the "First Five" composed of Seaoil, City Oil, Jetti, Eastern Petroleum and Unioil. This consortium will help bring "Pure Diesel" to the local consumers from 180 service stations.

The newly formed alliance among the upstarts of the oil sector has literally advanced the implementation of a major provision of the Clean Air Act regarding the reduction of sulfur content in diesel fuels.

Pit Lane Notes

Here’s more on that shocker of a Grand Prix race — the Hungarian leg of this year’s Formula One Series. When I found out that Fernando Alonso took pole position, I immediately thought that he probably started out with an extremely small amount of fuel. I figured he’d dive into the pit lane after several laps. Boy, was I wrong. Not only did he have a relatively filled tank, most of his pit stops were splash and dash!

This 22-year old drove for perennial cellar-dweller Minardi in 2001. Last year however, he took a short hiatus from driving competitively by being Renault’s test driver. Why is he suddenly becoming so popular? Aside from the boyish charm he exudes in abundance and the cheeky smiles he never seems to run out of, Alonso also owns the distinction of being the youngest driver in Formula 1 Racing history to get pole position in a qualifying session. In fact, he has done that twice already! And he just added another feather to his cap, a big one at that, by being the youngest driver to win a Formula One race, and in a very convincing fashion to boot. He has also claimed four podium finishes for himself so far in the 2003 season. He has scored more points so far this season than veterans Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard! Although it would be mathematically impossible for Renault to win the Constructor’s Championship this year, they have made a serious transformation.

How exciting is this F1 season? After last year’s races — ho-hum bordering on boring — the league has been resurrected. The top three contenders for the Driver’s Championship are separated by merely a point each! Who would’ve thought that the race for the title would be this close? And who would have thought that a former Minardi driver would grab his first victory of his F1 career? And... Who would have thought that the FIA would change the rules applying to tires with a mere three races left in the season? Michellin and Bridgestone are locked in a battle of their own. However, the FIA is intervening in a huge way — they have just implemented a rule that could give Bridgestone-powered cars the big upper hand. Instead of measuring the front tires before usage, they have changed to checking the tires after they have been used. This may seem like a pretty minor change but Michellin is getting severely worried that this may hurt McLaren’s and Williams’ chances in the final races.

Motoring Tip Of The Week

It is definitely a good practice to be always conscious and concerned about the state of your exhaust system.

A faulty exhaust system, aside from adversely affecting your fuel economy and contributing to noise pollution (especially if your are running with a damaged muffler or worse with a crack in the exhaust pipe located anywhere between your exhaust manifold and the muffler), can also be very harmful to you and your passengers.

A leak in the exhaust system definitely affects the power performance of your vehicle and feeling such deficiency, your natural reaction would be to have a heavier foot on the accelerator pedal and thereby increasing your fuel consumption.

Now, when fumes escape from the exhaust manifold to anywhere before the end of the tail pipe — the whole area of your under chassis — and you also happen to have a crack in your vehicle’s flooring, there’s a very big chance of seepage of these exhaust fumes into your vehicle’s cabin.

I’m sure many of you have heard of people who have died or severely damaged physically after having slept inside their air-conditioned vehicles with the engine running. A damaged exhaust system coupled with a crack in their under chassis may well be the cause of such unfortunate incidents.

So, regularly check your exhaust system by having it lifted in the service stations and with the engine running try to feel for air coming out anywhere from the exhaust manifold up to just before the end of tail pipe. A leak should immediately be addressed to avoid the dangers and risks of seepage of exhaust fumes to your vehicle’s cabin. This could mean a change of exhaust manifold gaskets, a welding patch up job on the exhaust pipe or an overall change of the exhaust system.

Happy Motoring!!!

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