It’s this weekend!

Automobile enthusiasts and those who are looking forward to have their first or next car just before Christmas or the year ends have been holding their breath to get the chance to test drive the best brands and models that the local auto industry can offer. 

An array of the best brand new automobile models are for everybody’s taking, for a test drive at least, starting tomorrow, November 6, Thursday to Sunday, November 9. All one has to do is go to the Concert Grounds (Block 12) of the SM Mall of Asia and drive any of your dream cars to your heart’s delight, one after the another. 

After the successfully tried and tested Auto Focus Summer Test Drive Festival last April, Sunshine TV (STV) now brings you the Auto Focus Pre Christmas Test Drive Festival. It’s actually in answer to the persistent clamor of auto companies who participated in the summer test drive event. They want an immediate repeat of the unique test drive concept that had the public’s unprecedented acceptance and response to the idea of having all notable automobile brands together in one venue for a multi-brand test drive and a one-stop-shop for brand new vehicles—indeed a market-friendly exercise that surely perks up the industry. Considering that there is also this historical pre Christmas car-buying spree combined with STV’s decision to forego with this year’s annual staging of the Auto Focus Motor Show & Auto Expo in deference to CAMPI’s recent staging of the Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), the holding of the Pre Christmas Test Drive Festival was inevitable.

The country’s biggest multi-brand test drive event also offers an alternative to auto companies that have security concerns about having their vehicles test driven in the open streets—a test drive course right within the event venue.

First tried last summer, a test track was laid out that brought out the best of a vehicle’s handling by way of a slalom course, its ride by having a run through a series of speed humps, its breaking capability by going through a screeching break test and finally its maneuverability through a series of parking exercises, the well-designed course was readily accepted and hailed by those who went through it as a very practical way of getting to know up close and personal a car under scrutiny.  We have the MNTC-NLEX to thank for helping us put this test drive course together in the safest way possible. Our good friends, Rod Franco MNTC’s president as well as top lady executive for corporate affairs Ms. Marlene Ochoa have always been supportive for ventures of this nature.

Sunshine TV, the event’s organizer not only had in mind what benefits the participating auto companies would have from the event, but also with equal importance the interest of the car buyer, like having a well-lit test course for evening test drives to give ample time for those who may have to come late from work or those who may have the traffic gridlocks to blame for their screwed up schedule.

Learning from last year’s experience when at times there were long queues for the test drive track, that issue was addressed by coming up with a “mirror track” or a “twin track”, which literally cuts queuing time to half.

The Auto Focus Pre Christmas Test Drive Festival has something for every auto buff’s or car buyer’s taste or need for an automobile test drive. And they have 4 days from 11am to 9pm daily to take on any of the wide array of remarkable brand new models available.

If the desire is for Japanese-made vehicles, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Isuzu, Nissan and Mazda will have their top-selling models present with Lexus ready with their notable luxury car offerings.

If you have the taste for the European marquee, there’s Volkswagen, Peugeot and MINI with their impressive array of automobiles, each available for your hands-on experience.

For those who prefer the American-brand automobiles, there’s Ford and Chevrolet that’ll have your hands full with the line up of vehicles in their respective garages.

And those who have the yen for the “new kids on the block”, the curiosity for Chinese-made sedans, SUVs and vans, there’s BYD and BAIC to check out.

While those that go for the widely selling Korean-made cars, Hyundai is there for the taking with their widely known variety of models.

All of the country’s desirable brands and models are in one very accessible and convenient venue at the SM Mall of Asia starting Thursday up to Sunday this weekend. No need to go from one showroom to another wasting a lot of fuel and spending a lot of downtime in traffic jams. And you can make immediate comparisons of models you have a hard time choosing one from the other. And you can even bring the whole family for each member’s valuable input in the decision-making on which to have in your garage this Christmas.     

And by the way, admission is free. And I’ll be there most of the time, just in case I can be of help.

See you there! It’s a “must be present” event for auto enthusiasts and those who are in the market for their first or next car.

Ford’s star shines brighter by each new vehicle

The steady, close to phenomenal rise of sales of Ford vehicles in the local market seems to be already worrying the competition judging by their varied creative sales promos that have been sprouting lately.

Last week Ford Group Philippines (FGP) unleashed a one-two combination with the launch of the all-new Escape and the Ford Explorer Sport thus further offering an increasingly wider array of choices in their showrooms nationwide. 

The third generation Escape comes with a whole package of modern auto technology, which curiously include “hands-free” liftgate activation. This is a unique feature that one could very well appreciate when having an arm full of things to load in the back and all that needs to be done is to make a gentle kicking motion under the center of the rear bumper and viola the door lifts. And what about Ford’s proprietary Active Park Assist, making the all-new Escape the first in its class to park itself. These two features are just the “tip of the iceberg” so to speak.

Meanwhile, the Explorer Sport is a mid-size all-wheel SUV that boasts of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 power plant with the new “award winning” Ford technology known as EcoBoost. And get hold of these—power adjustable pedals and speed control, Ford’s Terrain Management System that allows for optimization of power and torque based on road conditions, Trailer Tow Power Class III that allows maximum loaded trailer weight of up to 2,273 kilos, 365 prancing horses on demand and 475 Nm of torque. 

I still have a column-full to write about these two new market offerings from FGP but it’s best you see them for yourselves at your nearest Ford showroom.

“We at Ford Philippines are happy to bring in more Ford models and choices for the Filipino buyer. Nothing like a wide array of remarkable Ford-made vehicles to choose from whenever you visit our showrooms” was one of the friendly remarks Kay Hart, the very lovable, blue-eyed FGP managing director.

2014 ARCC’s deciding leg on Nov. 22

Multi-brand auto industry tycoon, Willy Tee Ten’s MINI Rally Team has won the STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC) in 2012 and in 2013. One more victory and the prestigious ARCC Champion’s Trophy would be forever enshrined in their possession, as the rule dictates—3 wins, not necessarily consecutive, and the winning team gets to keep the trophy permanently and that means we would have to buy another one.

Whichever team that wins the 2^nd leg this year, which shall again be held in Subic, in which part, only Rally Director, Georges Ramirez and associate Patrick Chua know, would certainly win the 2014 overall championship.

The 1^st leg held in Tagaytay City last May, which has a corresponding value of 30% of the overall score was won by the Subaru Rally Team. Having already scored a championship in 2011, it could again play the role of the spoiler in the MINI Rally Team’s quest for the permanent ownership of the ARCC Champion’s Trophy, the very first with the distinction.

The ARCC is an invitational motor sports event exclusive to the local auto industry, which field their individual corporate teams competing aboard their chosen automobile models. Aside from being the only motor sport event that involves the auto industry in a friendly but very keen competition against each other, it also serves as a showcase of their latest models. But the most important underlying factor and common denominator of the competition is its road safety component. A concern shared by all participating industry players being all stakeholders in the promotion of road safety.

The rules of the competition are based on the Sampaguita Rally’s “on time, all the time” norm. The competition is more of precision driving over racing, as driving at constant high speed above that prescribed by law can mean outright disqualification.  

For those of you who may still remember, the Sampaguita Rally had its glory days in the 60s but it never had a starting grid as big as what has been consistently assembled yearly by its organizers since its revival of the motor sport 5 years ago. It was with the ARCC that the record biggest starting grid ever registered in the history of Philippine motor sports (with all due respect to other pronouncements) in 2011 with 63 cars from 16 corporate teams being flagged off by racing and rally icon and AAP (Automobile Association Philippines) director for motor sports, Mandy Eduque.

More 2014 Caltex-STV ARCC updates next week.

Happy Motoring!!!

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