Test drive till you drop
It was one heck of a four-day, Thursday to Sunday weekend for automobile enthusiasts, especially those currently in the market for their first or next personal ride when the Auto Focus Pre Christmas Test Drive Festival was held last November 6 to 9 at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds.
The first time the concept of having a dedicated multi-brand test drive event was initially tried in the same venue during the Auto Focus Summer Test Drive Festival last April. And that was when some records of sorts were established in the number of test drives made to the surprise and satisfied delight of participating auto companies. This time, all the established records were shattered and have more than doubled, which has led industry players to convince its organizers, Sunshine TV, to turn this into a traditional twice-a-year event—during summer and just before Christmas—times of the year when auto sales historically peak.
Some of the telling figures we gathered include over 2,500 test drives made during the four-day event or an average of more than 500 test drives per day. Sunday was tops with over 1,000 made. Having options to test drive either on a specially designed test course within the venue or outside along the streets of MOA, the choice of those who test drove came out to almost equal.
Out of the 15 participating automobile companies, five automobile brands came up with the most number of test-drives during the event. Honda topped the list with the Brio registering the most number of test drives. Mazda came in second with the Mazda 3, the busiest in its line up. And the third brand that was most driven was Volkswagen with the iconic Beetle turning out to be the most irresistible. The fourth brand with the most number of test drives was Toyota with its Fortuner as the most driven among the models in its gallery. In the case of Hyundai, the sports car appeal of the Genesis Coupe placed the Korean brand in the elite line up.
The other brands and their busiest models that auto buffs and car buyers took turns driving through the test course and onto the roads of the SM MOA include in alphabetical order; Chinese-made BAIC’s AII3 Hatchback and BYD’s FO and FS models, American-made Chevrolet’s Trailblazer went in and out the most while Ford’s Ranger Wildtrack and Ecosport were neck to neck, Isuzu’s Mu-X, Lexus’ NX, Mini’s Cooper S, Mitsubishi’s Montero Sport, Nissan’s X-Trail and Peugeot’s RCZ sports car had their steering wheels turning all the time.
Sunshine TV’s decision to defer holding this year the annual Auto Focus Motor Show & Auto Expo so as not to overburden the auto industry with three car shows this year (MIAS and PIMPS) may have very well led to the regular biennial staging of the Auto Focus Test Drive Festival. For next year, April 23 has been earmarked for the 2015 Auto Focus Summer Test Drive Festival—another “test drive till you drop” event well worth looking forward to.
By the way, I can’t end this piece without expressing my personal “thank you” to the guys and dolls of “Magic 89.9 FM Station” for the unqualified support they unselfishly extended to promote this event—“Dudes, you rock!”
Philippine racing’s youngest rising star
He started racing at a very tender age of 13. He’s a champion karter and the country’s youngest drift racer. At 15 years old, everyone else in the starting grid of the maiden staging of the Toyota Vios Cup was older than him yet after a grueling and controversy-filled season he emerged the first overall Champion of the country’s most prestigious and highly publicized motorsports event. His name Luis Gono.
“This season was definitely a huge learning experience for me. It is a good feeling to win the Vios Cup, which is probably the country’s biggest motoring event to date. It feels special because winning the championship is a culmination of the time and effort my Dad and I spent in practicing on weekends, even on weekdays. My Dad and I really sacrificed a lot for this event,” says the champion racer who’s young in years but so much mature in his skills and competitive attitude.
The “Dad” being dearly referred to is multi-business tycoon Carlos Gono, a name synonymous to the brand Motul, the only “fully synthetic” premier motor oil available in the country.
The doting father was beaming with pride as he watched his son being handed by Michinobu Sugata, president of Toyota Motor Philippines, a specially designed championship trophy and the key to a brand-new Toyota Vios, his well-deserved prizes for the distinction of being the very first Vios Cup Champion Racer during the well-attended awarding ceremonies at the Gramercy Residences in Makati.
“For a person who has never driven on the street and does not even possess a valid driver’s license, my kid really did me proud today” were the emotional words uttered by Carlos Gono, or “Gono” to his close friends and associates.
Congratulations to Luis Gono, the country’s youngest and fastest rising racing star.
20 years of Volvo Philippines
Viking Cars is marking the 20th anniversary of Volvo in the Philippines by launching the Volvo 20/20 Platinum Program to provide more ways to celebrate and enjoy life with a Volvo.
To begin with all who inquire at a Volvo dealership from November 1 to January 31, 2015 will receive a kit that comes with full model specification sheets highlighting each Volvo model’s accolades here and abroad.
It comes with the best-in-class premium offers from Volvo like a cash discount of P200,000 on the Volvo S60 T4, S60 D4 and XC60. There’s also the 20th a-nniversary 20% cash discount on the Volvo S60 T6 and the XC90.
There are actually a lot more to this two-decade anniversary of the “world’s safest car”—the Volvo in the Philippines. But I suggest you find this out for yourself in their minutest detail at any Volvo dealership.
“Over the last two decades, Volvo Philippines has delivered the most dependable ride for every individual by bringing only the safest and highest quality cars in the country. It is a testament to the philosophy our founders made—that since Volvos are made with people in mind, in everything that we do, we put safety first,” was part of the anniversary message of Atty. Albert Arcilla, the very amiable and dynamic president of Volvo Philippines during the luncheon celebration with the motoring media last week at the Raffles Hotel in Makati.
All the best to Volvo Philippines on your 20th!
2014 ARCC’s deciding leg
Some 38 automobiles fielded by 12 auto industry Rally Teams are set to gather at the parking lot of Ayala Harbor Point Mall in Subic this Saturday, November 22, for the flag-off of the vital and deciding 2nd leg of the 2014 STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC).
The ARCC is a two-leg yearly invitational motor sport event exclusive to the local auto industry, which is part of an advocacy program to promote road safety. Based on the “on time, all the time” rules of the Tulip Rally that originated in Europe and brought to the Philippines during the 60s where it was locally named “Sampaguita Rally”, this particular motor sport discipline is not a race but a competition of precision driving, where high speeds can be disadvantageous to those aspiring to win. Simply put, winning is based on how close a team comes to a given time to travel from one point to another while maintaining the perfect timing (on time, all the time) anywhere along the given route. Part and parcel of the rules of competition is to obey traffic rules and regulations. Any violation, especially overspeeding determined by traffic authorities and by event marshals shall mean an outright disqualification from the competition.
Aside from having the distinction of being the only motor sport where local auto industry members compete against each other in a very friendly atmosphere, the biennial contest also sets the stage for industry executives from competing auto firms to bond together with the common objective to promote road safety as well as camaraderie and fellowship among peers. The event can also be an opportunity to present a showcase of the latest automobile models.
The 2014 STV ARCC is presented by Caltex with Techron in cooperation with Ayala Harbor Point Mall with support from Lighthouse Marina and SBMA.
Happy Motoring!!!
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