Tagaytay City again hosts STV - ARCC

The 1st leg of the 2015 STV-ARCC (Sunshine TV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge) will again be graciously hosted by Tagaytay City, which is scheduled this Saturday, March 14. Now on its 4th staging in this scenic ‘summer capital of the metro,’ the city’s leadership has pulled all stops to ensure the success of the event.

No less than Tagaytay City’s Honorable Congressman Abraham ‘Bambol’ Totentino in dynamic tandem with his wife, the Honorable Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes D. Tolentino have made sure that all traffic impediments and possible road hazards would be taken cared of during the event with the full support of local police and other local government agencies under the very capable supervision of Tagaytay City’s very amiable Administrator Engineer Gregorio Monreal.

The STV-ARCC is one of the major projects of Sunshine TV in cooperation with Socio-Com Foundation in its advocacy to promote road safety. It comes in together with their Young Street Smarts Road Safety School Tour, a yearly endeavor that conducts free road safety seminars for 4th year high school students in their respective schools with the aim of making them safe and responsible road users of the present and the future.

The competition is limited to corporate teams from the local auto industry, being major stakeholders in the concern for road safety. It is actually the only motor sport event or any event for that matter that these industry players openly compete with one another, in the friendliest manner—more of a bonding event.

The Tagaytay leg participants of the 2015 STV-ARCC include The Car Covenant Company with 4 Chevy models, Ford Group Philippines is fielding 3 models, Honda Cars Philippines also with 3, HARI with 4 Hyundai models, Isuzu Philippines Corporation will have 4 cars competing, Lexus-Manila with 3, Berjaya Auto shall field 3 Mazda models, defending champion MINI will have 3, Nissan participates with 4 vehicles, PGA Cars will have 2 Audi A3s, and a Porsche Boxster, Motor Image shall bring in 3 Subaru models and Toyota also with 3 automobiles competing. These are a total of 40 cars from 12 Corporate Rally Teams with 120 competitors at the starting grid. A little less than the unbeaten record of having flagged off 63 cars, which we established 4 years ago at the Home Depot but still a mean number to manage considering that every car is flagged off in 60-sec. intervals.

Aside from being in actual motor sports competition that is safe and popular, the event also serves as a showcase of the auto companies’ line up of brand new vehicles that they currently offer in the market.   

The competition’s relevance to road safety is most highlighted by one of its strictest rules, which is, any participant that is caught violating speed limits or any other traffic regulation is automatically disqualifies the car team from competing to prevent further possible danger to himself or herself or to other competitors.

To begin with, it is not a race but more of precision driving—being “on time, all the time.” The objective of the competition is to come closest to the time given to travel from one point to another. A demerit is earned for every second that a participant misses the given time. The participant that registers the lowest number of demerits wins.

Like last year the flag-off will be held at the huge parking lot of Tagaytay Highlands with a new rally route designed by Georges Ramirez of the legendary Ramirez Racing Clan that would snake around the scenic sights of Tagaytay City and its environs like Laurel and Talisay, including parts of the very progressive City of Tanauan, where its current mayor, the Honorable Antonio Halili seems to be unstoppable in bringing his city to heights that its populace has never before imagined it could reach.

Light snacks and cocktails will be served at the Tagaytay Highlands right after the rally. This would allow all participants to savor the breathtaking afternoon and sunset view from this upscale golf and country club. The gracious gesture is the handiwork of Tagaytay Highlands top honcho for corporate communications, the very amiable Philip Medina.

Guys, rally time is this Saturday in scenic Tagaytay. Be “on time, all the time.”

The much-awaited All-New Honda Odyssey is here

The very dynamic, hands-on president of Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), Mr. Toshio Kuwahara took the cudgels himself in unveiling and presenting what many Filipino families who want a large enough vehicle to accommodate a good number of passengers have been waiting for—the All-New Honda Odyssey in One Esplanade, within the expansive grounds of the Mall of Asia.    

Originally made to answer the increasing need for mobility for a family and other large groups in Japan, Honda developed the Odyssey as a multi-passenger vehicle that has a large cabin space.

Its exterior design was based on the “Solid Streamline” concept with an ultra-low platform to achieve an elegant and dynamically proportioned look while still mindful of the cabin space. This resulted to a sedan-like stance with low floor to ease passenger entry and exit, unique to the All New Odyssey luxury minivan. The incorporation of LED dual projector type headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED tail lamps completes the All New Odyssey’s stylish yet commanding presence on the road.

The interior design of the All New Odyssey is reminiscent of a hotel suite as it is primarily patterned to one based on its “Modern Suite Room” concept; easily described as elegant and high-class fitted with only the finest choice of materials. Added to that, Honda’s craft and expertise in efficient packaging is also noticeable in the All New Odyssey; able to accommodate seven passengers comfortably with generous head, elbow and leg room.

New to Honda’s luxury minivan is the application of Captain Cradle Seats with Ottoman in its second row; and the third row showcases a three-way split reclining structure that enables three passengers to sit side-by-side with different reclining angle for each section to provide ultimate sense of relaxation for all passengers. Further indulge in a luxurious journey with amenities and controls suited for all passengers’ comfort. The All New Odyssey is equipped with a seven inch touch screen display audio with navigation system and it also has roof-mounted nine inch rear entertainment system with HDMI port and DVD player.

The All New Odyssey is the first Honda model available in the Philippines that is developed with Earth Dreams Technology 2.4-liter, DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine and Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT with 7-speed paddle shifter). Earth Dreams Technology is a next generation set of technological advancements that enhances the engine to greatly improve both fuel efficiency and driving performance. The All New Odyssey is also equipped with the Eco Assist System, which consists of the ECON mode and the Eco coaching ambient light that promotes a more fuel-efficient driving habit.

To further help in realizing improved fuel efficiency, the All New Odyssey boasts of a first in its class Idle-Stop System which automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a complete stop, depending on the driver operation, environment inside and outside the vehicle, and vehicle condition. If the engine is stopped, it will restart once the brake pedal is released. For optimum passenger comfort, the All New Odyssey features a cold-storage evaporator which essentially maintains a comfortable environment for occupants during auto idling-stop. The Idle-Stop System moreover, can be deactivated manually.

As for its safety features, the All New Odyssey comes with comprehensive technology on vehicle safety to provide peace of mind and comfortable mobility. The All New Odyssey showcases a multi-view camera system; which consists of four wide-angle cameras that are located on the front grille, right and left door mirrors and tailgate. These cameras provide a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s surroundings which is also shown in the display audio.

For added safety and convenience, the All New Odyssey features Honda’s Smart Parking Assist System that is capable of analyzing and detecting parking spaces where the luxury minivan can fit. This system also automatically steers the Odyssey into the parking space using the Electric Power Steering motor; however, the driver has to operate the gear stick, accelerator and brake pedal through the guidance provided by the system. The Smart Parking Assist System can help the driver to reverse into parking space and parallel-park. Driver can utilize the multi-view camera system for better visibility while parking.

There are still a lot to write about the All New Honda Odyssey but I suggest you discover them for yourself by taking a short trip to any of the Honda dealerships, which you can find all over the country.

My friend, Kuwa san, I think you have a winner with the All New Honda Odyssey. Congratulations!

Happy Motoring!!!

Email [email protected]. / [email protected].