Motorshows

I love motorshows. Ever since I was a kid dreaming I could afford a Ferrari one day, the annual motorshows held either at SM’s Megatrade Hall or at the Folk Arts Theatre (if memory serves me correctly) were always a draw for me. Back in the days when the term "16 valves" was actually something to brag about, I’d gawk at such "drool-worthy" cars like the Toyota Supra Turbo (circa 1995) or the Acura NSX (1997). When Mitsubishi and Nissan decided to come out with a small batch of turbocharged Eclipse’s and 200SX’s, I was ecstatic. Wow! Affordable sports cars at last! As you will remember, we car enthusiasts were pretty deprived of truly exotic stuff back then.

Of course, as the Internet became as common as monobloc chairs — giving me access to the latest wheels from all over the world without having to buy expensive magazines like Car & Driver — my interest in local motorshows began to wane. And since being part of the motoring media let me travel out of the country for the express purpose of test driving soon-to-be-launched cars or visiting an international motorshow like Tokyo’s, my enthusiasm for local motorshows became just about nil. As the years passed, local motorshows seemed to have been mired with the same-old same-old formula of dressed up cars and nothing really special to show. Super-modified Civics and Corollas? Been there, seen that. Heart-pounding audio setups? Yawn.

But this year, I actually found myself getting excited about setting foot in the 2006 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS). After successfully debuting last year, proving to car manufacturers and car enthusiasts that a high-quality motorshow could actually be done here, MIAS did even better this year with more cars, better displays, and more visitors than ever. A record 75,600 visitors came to the 4-day show at the World Trade Center, and I’m sure very few of them were disappointed with what they came for.

Conspicuously missing this year were Viking Cars (Volvo) and BMW Philippines, both of whom were among the exhibitors in 2005. Still, twenty-three brands participated this time, bringing a total of 288 automobiles. And, I must say, most of these cars were truly interesting. Some of the highlights include:

Mitsubishi — Their 500 square meter "Mitsubishi Pavilion" was chosen as the best exhibition booth, what with its wall screens displaying its Paris-Dakar Rally exploits, its mezzanine, and gratifying variety of products. These included the upcoming Strada pickup truck, the Lancer Evo IX, the Lancer 2.0 GT, the Eclipse sports coupe, and the peculiarly named Zinger crossover vehicle. Oh, and the promo girls. What’s an exhibit without such lovely ladies?

Ford — Most of the brands had available test drives outside the World Trade, but only Ford had an off-road course for visitors to try out the Ranger pickup truck. A Ford Ranger and Escape fitted with flash aftermarket body kits and SVT-themed racing stripes even had me thinking they were sourced from Ford’s in-house racing program… until I found out these were fabricated by our very own "Atoy Ang" of Concept One.

Toyota — The manufacturing giant chose MIAS to unveil the all-new Previa minivan. The Previa has always been an excellent people-mover, but the 2006 model has some very worthwhile improvements such as a cheerier cabin design, power sliding doors, and High Intensity Discharge headlamps, among others. And, ah, they had shagadelic promo girls, too.

Mercedes-Benz/DaimlerChrysler — DaimlerChrysler and CATS Motors Inc. brought in the M-B Fuel Cell Car, which runs on hydrogen and costs a cool gazillion, sorry… one million Euros. Also present was the Hummer-like Jeep Commander and the "so pimp, it’s cool" Chrysler 300C.

Kia — The brand is synonymous with cheap, but everyone agrees that the new Rio hatchback looks pretty good anyway. It should give the Hyundai Getz and Chevrolet Aveo a run for their money soon.

Nissan Motors Philippines / Universal Motors Corporation — Joining forces for this show, the two companies brought a total of 8 vehicles with the new Murano premium SUV as its "star" model.

General Motors — Emphasizing sophistication, GM brand Chevrolet brought an all-black fleet of Tahoes, Optras, and Aveos to sharply contrast with its light-colored display area. Notable were the lifestyle-oriented Optra wagon and the externally modified Aveo, giving the latter a little more upmarket appeal.

Honda — Honda probably had the most traffic this year thanks to its excellent timing of the all-new Civic launch. Choosing to leave the CR-V, the City, the Jazz, and the Accord back in the WTC grounds for on-road test drives, Honda displayed instead a small fleet of 2006 Civics. The car’s swoopy lines made it a natural for aftermarket body kits, so on display was a Honda Racing-liveried model, while taking center stage was a specially kitted Mugen Civic. Of all the cars in the show, the Civic was the only one I actually had to fall in line for just to try out the driver’s seat.

Motul — They’re not a car company, but they brought the sexiest car to the show: a 2005 Ford GT supercar. Actually a gray-market car, this scarlet sex machine sat so low to the floor you could actually stumble over it if you weren’t careful, and if there weren’t any barriers blocking you access to its cockpit. The thing actually attracted more attention than the F430 and 575M Ferraris displayed by Formula Sports Inc.

Some things I think the organizers need to improve for next year would be 1) more parking, since the open lots filled up really fast, and 2) a better area for the aftermarket and motorcycle exhibitors. The way the exhibit was laid out, visitors could only exit via a lengthy walk through the adjoining tent which contained the non-automobile exhibitors. But since this area was pretty dark and warm, few people stuck around to browse through these guys’ displays.

All in all, the Manila International Auto Show has restored my faith in local auto shows. It’s still got a long way to go when it comes to reaching the prestige of, say, the Tokyo International Motorshow, but the quality of the exhibits and the variety of automobiles merit any enthusiast or car buyer’s precious few hours come summertime.

Here are some of your comments, requests and questions from last week.

Is it okay to buy a second hand imported car from Israel? I worry about its spare parts since it is not a Japanese made car. — 09165666739 (The biggest concern of anyone buying second hand cars is parts availability. That’s because warranties are non-existent for such purchases. Your reservations are valid. If you are constrained by your budget but still know how to look for the good and bad in vehicles, second hand, locally available cars are your best bet.)

Can you please feature the differences between the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Ford Escape? Thank you and more power to all. — 09178539988 (We will, as soon as we get to test drive the Grand Vitara, which is so in-demand at the moment that Suzuki Philippines cannot, as yet, provide a test unit.)

BMW and Volvo did not participate in the 2nd Manila International Auto Show. Why? — 09167660911 (According to our sources from both BMW Philippines and Viking Cars, both entities were not able to set aside budgets for the event as they both have separate sales initiatives at the moment.)

Your "Farming for Cars 101" is good news, your story telling is nice too. — 09208107917 (Thanks! We did say it was a story worth telling.)

What specifically is the "lining of the spare wheel recess" that ìs made up of abaca? Thanks. — 09182912755 (In the Mercedes Benz A-Class, the spare tire rests on a contraption lined with abaca.)

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