Rolls-Royce opens Manila dealership
By Amy R. Remo
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. has opened a dealership in Manila, signifying the “ultra-luxury” brand’s confidence in the thriving Philippine economy.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. has opened a dealership in Manila, signifying the “ultra-luxury” brand’s confidence in the thriving Philippine economy.
Is there a deadly double standard in car manufacturing when it comes to the safety of entry-level vehicles built in emerging-market nations?
The last gasp is often the sweetest. As the summer season drew to a close, with ominous rainclouds on the horizon, we got a final full dose of sun, sand and steering wheel amid the beautiful sights of Bohol. Our vehicles for the weekend: the stimulating Ford Focus, in sedan and hatchback guise, with 1.6 or 2.0 gasoline engines. As we exited the small and efficient Tagbilaran airport, they were lined up, ready to traverse the island with gusto. The Focus looks eager to get moving, with its dynamic lines looking good on the sedan, and exceptional on the hatchback.
For their upcoming 60th wedding anniversary celebration, my dad Benny had to treat himself and his wife Toying to a new Volvo. This time, it was the new V40, which had just arrived at the recently-opened Centris showroom on Edsa near Quezon Avenue.
With a powerful emerging market in Asia, it didn’t come as a surprise that Bentley Motors held its global media launch and test drive of the all-new Flying Spur ultra premium luxury executive sports sedan at the fabled capital of China, Beijing recently.
The market’s “love affair” with the Montero Sport is indeed still going strong. The Montero Sport was launched in the market way back in 2008, but the sales figures that it achieved in a month speak volumes on how the buying public positively regards the SUV.
Auto giant Toyota Motor Corp. has gone beyond merely creating hybrid cars. It has looked at the much bigger picture, and has funded reforestation projects as well as helped in creating a low-carbon emitting society. It knows, however, that implementing its vision too soon on a global scale would be akin to Don Quixote calling for a duel with the windmills. So, it has set its sights on a more manageable scale—in its sprawling Toyota City in Nagoya.
School has just started and you kids are out with your new rides. From this day until about August, you will be showing off your wheels acquired after extensive groveling the past school year.
Just because it’s a hybrid doesn’t mean the form has to take a backseat to function, right? And so, the motoring public needs to know: Why can’t the Prius, with its rather “bland” look, be as sexy as the luxury hybrid Tesla Model S? Okay, let’s take it even closer to home. Can the spacious Prius hold a candle to the upcoming hybrid sports coupe Honda CR-Z?
Mercedes-Benz wanted to extend its reach beyond the brand’s traditional market of medium to large sedan buyers. Thus they came up with the appropriately named A-Class, a hatchback that had the footprint of an A-segment car: truly, the baby Benz. Thanks to an innovative layout and design, within was the space of a much bigger car.
For years, Lexus’ IS sedan lagged behind the prestige afforded by its big brother, the LS, which many in the industry had pegged as a game changer as the Lexus marquee shook the luxury sedan segment to its very core. Slowly but surely, Lexus’ entry-level sedan has evolved into a model proud enough to stand on its own, away from the shadow of its big brother. Now, the IS has been reborn, ready to challenge the European aristocrats in the compact luxury sports sedan segment.
Premium automotive manufacturer Audi has officially announced actress Anne Curtis as newest brand ambassador for the Philippines. The street-smart and gregarious Curtis will now be heavily involved in the launch of Audi’s latest compact SUV model, the Q3.
