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By Tessa R. Salazar Philippine Daily Inquirer

PUT IN ENOUGH RESOURCES and creativity into the mix, and see the local 

aftermarket industry produce world-class customized cars.

And you don't even have to match the scale of such internationally renowned trade shows such as the Tokyo Auto Salon or the Sema. The cars are the stars. They will shine no matter the backdrop.

Thus, singled out from 186 showcased cars sprawled out on 7,180 square meter of floor space, and viewed by no less than 35,000 visitors, five major awards and several special awards were given out to the cars that stood out during the Nov. 26 to 29 staging of the Manila Auto Salon held at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

The five major awards had been categorized as: level to workmanship in exterior; interior; engine and suspension; undercarriage; and the craftsmanship in the restoration and modification.

INQUIRER.net executive editor Leo Magno takes the 2009 Ford Escape for a spin. In this review, he discusses the smaller, more economical SUV that costs more than P1 million.

By Relly Carpio INQUIRER.net FORD introduced its Ford Focus TDCi, the first diesel-fed vehicle to "hit the track" in the Philippines. It was developed together with Tuason Racing School (TRS). JP Tuason, owner of TRS, said he was "delightfully surprised to have done very little modification on the Focus, showcasing its real 'street to track' capability." TRS matched the engine with an enhanced suspension, fiberglass body parts, K&N filters, racing brake pads, six-point rollcage, racing seats, racing seatbelts and a fire extinguisher. But the engine was kept stock, a powerful engine at 136 HP with its 2nd-generation common rail injection technology. Here's a video I took of Ford Group Philippines president Richard Baker unveiling the Ford Focus TDCi on Day 1 of the Manila International Auto Show. "The Ford Focus has always enjoyed a strong motor sports heritage and has achieved outstanding results in worldwide auto sports competition. Building on this successful racing tradition and the growing interest in motor racing, we will demonstrate the Ford Focus TDCi's superior technical capability and dynamic nature in the country," Baker said. "This latest innovation from Ford affirms the Focus TDCi's advanced 'street to track' technology, with its winning combination of acceleration, handling and braking capability. The speed and passion embodied in racing fulfills our thrust to making cars that replace the drudgery of the everyday commute, with the intense thrill of driving," he added. Ford is quick to add that the new Focus TDCi is not a fuel-guzzler. According to them, it has "best-in-class fuel economy benefits, as proven with the recent fuel economy and endurance run conducted by TRS in various parts of the country." This endurance run was done under the watchful eyes of representatives from the Automobile Association Philippines and the Department of Transportation and Communications. The run covered "different terrain, road and weather conditions. The provincial runs ended at the North Luzon Expressway while the entire drive campaign culminated in Metro Manila." The Ford Focus TDCi went head to head against another subcompact sedan for almost three weeks. No repairs were done on the cars, which were carrying two passengers and two pieces of luggage. The numbers from the test put the Ford Focus TDCi at "29.61 kilometers per liter or KPL, for the best all highway run, 16.69 KPL for the best all city run, average of 20.17 KPL per 10,000 KM mark: Total kilometers over total liters of 19.50 KPL."

By Aida Sevilla-Mendoza Philippine Daily Inquirer FORD MOTOR CO.'S sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover brands to India’s Tata Motors Ltd. for $1.7 billion is just one sign of a big shift in the global auto industry. That an Asian manufacturer producing the world's cheapest car, the $2,500 Nano, would buy two luxury British marques from an ailing US giant automaker is ironic enough. It could only mean that Tata intends to become a global player, using Jaguar and Land Rover’s advanced technologies to challenge high-end competitors like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Ford, which lost more than $15 billion in the past two years, sold Jaguar and Land Rover at a loss to help fund its restructuring effort after having spun off assets such as the Hertz car rental agency and Aston Martin. Ford is not the only one in trouble. General Motors lost $39 billion in 2007, the largest deficit to be posted by a US carmaker. Like Ford and GM, Chrysler has negotiated with the United Auto Workers to cut production levels to reduce inventories rather than close more US assembly plants. 2008 may be the worst year in a decade for the US auto industry. J.D. Power and Associates, the marketing firm, cut its annual forecast from 15.7 million to 14.95 million vehicles, which would be the lowest sales level since 1995. The credit turmoil, high gasoline prices, the housing crisis and the looming recession are slowing sales. Auto finance companies, afraid to repeat the mistakes of subprime lenders in the housing industry, are generally declining to make risky car loans. The problem is that many auto manufacturers depend on the US market for more than half of their profits. Toyota said it may miss its sales target of 9.85 million because of the stronger yen vis-à-vis the US dollar and slumping sales in the United States, Europe and Japan. Nissan reported an 11 percent drop in profit for the fiscal year ending March 2007, its first since Carlos Ghosn took over as CEO in 1999. Growth in the US car market in the next six years will be nearly flat, up 1.5 percent to 17.9 million vehicles by 2014, according to CSM Worldwide Inc., a global auto market research firm. In contrast, the emerging markets are expected to account for some 76 percent of all global auto sales growth during the next six years.In that period, CSM forecasts vehicle sales in China to shoot up 7.3 percent, India up 15.5 percent, Russia up 6.2 percent and Brazil up 5.7 percent. In short, global auto sales growth is shifting from the developed to the developing countries. No wonder GM, Volkswagen, Toyota, Fiat, Honda, Hyundai, etc. are relying on Asia and Latin America for profits. In China, annual economic growth averaging 9.6 percent over the past five years has made cars affordable to more people. Total auto sales in China jumped 21.84 percent to 8.79 million units in 2007. GM’s joint ventures in China will spend $1 billion a year over the next five years to keep up with the explosive growth in China’s auto industry. GM, which along with Volkswagen established an early foothold in China, will sell more than one million Cadillacs, Buicks and other models there in 2008, a more than 150-fold increase in sales over a decade.Nissan is trying to offset its US losses by boosting sales in Russia, India and China but is lagging behind in Russia and India. Nissan, which has a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group, expects sales in China to increase this year to 500,000 vehicles. Nissan plans to introduce three new models in China this year, including the crossover SUV Qashqai. Nissan is building a plant in Russia, where Toyota has already started production. Note that large or midsize cars sell well in China, while in India, mini cars are in demand. This means that even if their sales volumes soar in India, car manufacturers reap smaller profits than from bigger vehicles that sell in the United States. Not surprisingly, Suzuki and Hyundai are prospering in India.But multinational automakers also face keen competition from homegrown manufacturers in the emerging markets. Although they may have joint ventures with the multinationals, Chinese manufacturers like Shanghai Automotive Industry (SAIC), Chery Automobile Co., Geely Automotive Holdings, Dongfeng Motor Group, Great Wall Motor and BYD Automobile make and sell their own independent brands, just as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. do in India. Some have even begun exporting and have plans to enter the US market. So here’s the big shift: while global players are turning to the emerging markets for profits they can no longer realize in the United States, Europe and Japan, domestic manufacturers in these nations are building up their own auto industry with technology transferred by the multinationals through joint ventures. Quid pro quo! * * * Don’t miss the opening of the Manila International Auto Show at 10 a.m. Thursday at the World Trade Center when precision driver Russ Swift shows off his spectacular driving skill. See you there!

By Andre Palma Philippine Daily Inquirer I HAVE to admit to cringing when Ford Philippines' Glen Dasig mentioned the word, “Expedition,” over the phone. Admittedly, biases and preconceived notions about certain cars are difficult to suspend, even when one tests them for a living. It is hard to forget a six-month spell, years ago, when this writer had to fuel a first generation 5.4-liter Triton V8 specimen. It felt like personally sponsoring a petroleum company, honestly. At some point, every pump attendant's courtesy smile started looking eerily sinister. It got that bad. It is now two generations later, a long period of time in any process of automotive evolution and even the tamest of cars can change a lot over 10 years. Is the third-generation Expedition any better than the first? Let's just say that the 2008 Ford Expedition experience is generally a familiar one. The first five minutes with the current model Expedition were eventful to say the least. Moments before the SUV was to be released from the dealership, pranksters from an adjacent school threw a perfectly aimed styro cup of an unidentified, mystery goop at the Expedition. Said cocktail bounced off the roof of the SUV, exploded on the windscreen and finished its ballistic path on the truck's massive hood. The smell, moments later, confirmed what was in the cup. The social commentary of that attack speaks volumes on the high-profile public perception of the Expedition. Attention grabbing because of its sheer, impolite size and likely reinforced by a clientele just as discreet, it makes perfect sense why bored teenagers would target this vehicle out of a parking lot crammed with dozens of other cars. Maybe the juvenile delinquents were hoping to score a hit on a politician, a show-biz personality or some important business tycoon? You roll with the consequences of getting noticed big-time, I guess. Maybe that's what security details are for? Behind the wheel of this car, it is logical that lethal engine grunt must come with all the flash, fanfare and fuss. The Expedition's engine numbers border on ludicrous actually, seemingly excessive for whatever road conditions that the Philippines can throw at it. The updated 5.4-liter V8 puts out 300 bhp and almost 500 Nm of torque, making forward acceleration is anything but subtle. The raw engine power is stifled though by the massive weight of the vehicle, two and a half tons when empty and close to three tons with a complement of five adults and cargo. That's heavy in any book.Drivers will still have to deal with the typically uninvolved drive that blankets the large American SUV segment. If a peso could be earned every time the words boat-like and wallowing were used to describe this segment, the BIR would want some part of that action. Forget trying to push aggressively down a twisty segment of tarmac in this car, as it pays a terrible toll to the laws of physics. In traffic, patience is also a critical virtue as the width and height of the Expedition makes it as nimble as an Edsa bus. Slicing and dicing in congestion can be done but it is an accident waiting to happen. The seat from where to enjoy the Expedition the most is that of the passenger's. If space and creature comforts are on top of your automotive wish list, then look no further than this large, leather bound, and power everything interior. Some might find the ride of this super-sized SUV a tad bouncy, but that is something that probably can be solved by changing tires, shocks and springs. For the sake of comfort, this is a solution worth searching for if one is considering spending a lot of time in the rear seats of this Ford.There is a market segment out there that demands a vehicle like the Ford Expedition; there are quite a few on the road. High-profile size and looks, well-known running costs and vague, pliable suspension must be what they look for. These say a lot about the types of people who buy these cars. They know what they want and have the bank balances to stick with their choices, no matter what life throws in their direction.

By Ronnel Domingo Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--Ford Motor Co., whose officials have expressed continued optimism in the Philippines, could expand its production facility here by up to seven times if local economic growth continued and regional integration opened up more markets in Southeast Asia. Liam Benham, Ford's vice president for governmental affairs in Asia-Pacific and Africa, said the company was continually looking at expansion opportunities in the country although there were no short-term plans so far. "Ideally, a facility should be producing 100,000 units to 200,000 units yearly," Benham said. "This is a possible future for [our Philippine operations] as the ASEAN market is still largely untapped, but we have to make a competitive situation to make that a feasible reality," he added. Ford's facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, has the capacity to turn out some 31,000 units of vehicles yearly, but it is only producing barely half of that. Benham was part of a business mission sent by the US-ASEAN Business Council. It was here on a three-day visit that wrapped up Friday. The Bangkok-based official said the business mission met with various executive officials, including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and business-related bodies such as the National Competitiveness Council. "It is heartening to hear that there are deeply-rooted efforts to make the country more competitive," Benham said. "It is more so when one considers that Ford enjoys (some conveniences here) that are unparalleled in ASEAN." However, he said that amid continued optimism, the need to address hurdles to growth and expansion remained urgent. He said two of the greatest concerns among investors in the Philippines were the problems of smuggling and high cost of power. Further, Benham said the strict implementation of the ban on the importation of used vehicles was needed as this was the biggest barrier to the expansion of the domestic vehicle market. Benham said Ford was also anticipating the opening up of markets in the region with the realization of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Economic Community. "Non-tariff barriers in Malaysia and the tax system in Thailand are currently discouraging Ford from exporting more vehicles to these countries," he said. Benham echoed US-ABC president Matthew P. Daley, who expressed hope that "economic integration, in tangible and practicable ways, could be accelerated." "We are fully committed to the Philippines, which is a very key hub for Ford in the Asian region," Benham said. "We export not only to ASEAN but to farther regions as well. We have started shipping out flex-fuel engines to as far as South Africa, which is 12 hours by plane," he added.