Words and photos by Hans Gerald Chua
The 1st generation Forester of the 90's looked more like a station wagon than the crossover that it has shaped up to be today. Subaru engineers redesigned it from the ground up, making it a little bit taller and a little bit bigger to cater to the growing appeal of compact SUVs, but without messing with the fun-to-drive AWD formula. I should know, because I was one of those people who bought one a 3rd generation Forester to be exact. Now five years have passed since that model was introduced, Motor Image Pilipinas finally launched the all-new 4th generation Subaru Forester at the 2013 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) which is bigger and taller than before, and promises to be a little bit faster.
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Newly Launched
Words by Carl Trocio | Photos courtesy of Porsche AG
2013 looks to be a year of milestones as a good bunch of car companies of “super status” commemorate a special event of their being. Ferrari came out with the wicked LaFerrari to celebrate their 70th year, Lamborghini blossomed at 50 with their Veneno triplets, and Aston Martin marks a century with the same stuff but with a neat looking color, nice fabric, and goody bags to go with their toys. Not to stray far from their “super friends” are the kids from Stuttgart, Porsche.The 911 has held a classic icon status by retaining most of its’ shape since its’ conception in 1963. Even mere mortals with a small drop of gear oil running through their veins can distinguish a Porsche by merely looking at the silhouette. This year, the company celebrates their 50th birthday by making a better thing better-er, this is the new 991-based 911 GT3.
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Newly Launched
16 April 2013
HARI bounces back with 4% growth in March 2013
Whew! After a dismal start to the year, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) is finally back on their feet after posting a 4% year-on-year sales growth in March 2013. In total, Hyundai tallied 2,327 units sold versus the 2,245 units in March 2012. Although it's not enough to offset January's 7.5% and February's 31% sales drop, it's more than enough to boost their spirits and work even harder for the remaining nine months of the year.
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Industry Update
You might not have heard of them before, but Aeolus Tires have actually been around since the 60's. Well, in China at least where its headquarters is based. They're currently ranked 20th among the “Top 75 Global Ranking Tires” according to their portfolio and have partnered with bus, truck, and commercial vehicle manufacturers such as DFM and Foton. As proof of how good their tires are, the brand has now built a solid reputation in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. And now, they're here in the Philippines with a full line-up of passenger car tires that debuted at the recently-concluded 2013 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS).
Technically, Aeolus Tires first came to the Philippines back in 2000 where they started distributing tires for buses, trucks, and heavy equipment. Now, they're extending their portfolio by offering a wide variety of passenger car tires that according to them are “guaranteed to be dependable, durable, and very cost-effective.”
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News
Words by Jose Carlo R. Sapera | Photos courtesy of Maruti-Suzuki
For those who went to the 2013 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), some of you may have noticed two new small Maruti-made cars from Suzuki. Their little booth isn’t as noticeable as some since it was not situated in the the main hall like all the other major manufacturers were. It was also a rather lackluster display from one of their dealers, instead of being a full-blown fiasco funded by Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPI). Still, our peering eyes quickly saw the all-new Alto 800 and Dzire.
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Newly Launched
15 April 2013
Nobuo Izumina to assume presidency of Isuzu PH on May 3
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Ryoji Yamazaki took the top post at Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) back in April 1, 2010 from his previous assignment as General Manger of Isuzu Motors Limited's International Department. But after three years as President, it's time for Yamazaki-san to move on and hand over the position to Nobuo Izumina, IPC's new President starting May 3, 2013.
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Industry Update
Words by Christopher Kho
Just yesterday, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) issued a voluntary safety recall of some 9,743 units of 2001 - 2002 Civics and CR-Vs due to a faulty passenger side airbag. This was part of Honda's global campaign that involves more than 1.1 million vehicles world wide. Well, from the looks of it, they're not the only one with this problem because fellow Japanese giants Toyota, Nissan, and Mazda are also dealing with the same problem too.
You see, these four have been souring their airbag inflators from Takata - the world's second largest supplier of airbags and seatbelts. But due to a manufacturing defect, the airbags Takata supplied may not inflate correctly and cause injury. So technically, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, or Honda are not at fault as some others would perceive.
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News
Words by Ferman Lao | Photos courtesy of Subaru of America, Inc.
By now, you should have seen photos of Subaru's new WRX Concept that was unveiled at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. If you still haven't, we've got a bunch of them for you to enjoy, so scroll down first and take a good look before coming back here. Now that we're all on the same page, I think we all will agree in no uncertain terms that it is indeed a stunner. Right?
But however the information presented, or rather, the lack thereof, it seems to indicate that Subaru is keeping a lid on things. Other than stating that the next-generation WRX will be heavily influenced by the design direction taken by the Concept, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan is tight lipped. They did however say that it “will focus on sharp handling, AWD grip, and turbo power.” This leaves us guessing that it will quite possibly have it's own distinct model instead of being part of the Impreza lineup. So, will the WRX Concept ever hit production?
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Concept
