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By Fung Yu Contributor Author’s Note: This article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. Adobe Flash 10 or higher is required to view the 360-degree VRs. Average VR size is 2.5Mb each. January 7, 2009 saw Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. launch the all new City. The much anticipated third generation Honda City, following the recent success of the new Jazz, completes Honda’s all i-VTEC line-up and reinforces its claim in the passenger car segment. Taking inspiration from an arrowshot concept, the new City ascertains sleek and powerful stance from any angle. It features streamlined grille, sharp headlights harmonization, smoother contours and a 15-inch tire size to enhance its overall sporty appearance. With cutting-edge design and technologies that set new standards in its class, the City merges modernism with practicality for an ultimate driving pleasure, forever changing the rules on how subcompacts should be. Sharing the same powerplant as the Jazz, the i-VTEC engine of the new City delivers maximum power output of 120ps at 6600rpm and 100ps at 6000rpm for the 1.5 liter and the 1.3 liter variants respectively. The i-VTEC engine technology delivers power and torque intelligently, thus contributing to a fuel efficient driving performance. Further fuel efficiency is enhanced with a 5-speed automatic transmission to reduce engine revolution and stress. An F1-inspired paddle shift (available only for the 1.5E variant) enables manual shifting of gears without the clutch to deliver superb driving pleasure of a manual transmission. Retaining its compact form despite the increase in interior and trunk space, the all new City radiates a refreshing atmosphere with careful selection of materials and design. The spacious interior creates a relaxing ambience filled with strength and character. It instantly relaxes and cools down passenger auras as soon as they get in. Complimenting the City’s relaxing air is an advanced audio system that is compatible with iPod and other MP3 players via USB and AUX ports. A multi-information display in the instrument panel also makes it possible to easily track fuel consumption with the fuel economy and range indicators in LCD. The new City conforms to EURO 4 level emission standards, a G-CON body structure, ABS with EBD and Brake-Assist comes standard, plus dual SRS airbags are available for the 1.5E and 1.3S variants. The City continues to be manufactured in Honda’s Sta. Rosa plant in Laguna, a testament of Honda’s confidence in local manufacturing operations and commitment to the Philippine government and the Filipino people. Our 2-day media test drives of the Honda City in the serene province of Bohol toke us on a tour of its prime tourist attractions. On the first day we visited the Clarin Ancestral House in Loay with no less than the former mayor, Mr. Olegario Clarin Jr. as our guide; after which we proceeded to interact with the tarsiers, the world’s smallest primate, near the town of Loboc; a sumptuous buffet lunch awaited us aboard the boat in the Loboc River as we cruised down its emerald waters while being serenaded with folk songs; a stop at the Baclayon Church, one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines; picture taking in the Blood Compact Commemorative Shrine in Barangay Bool; and finally to the classy Amorita Resort in Alona Beach, Panglao Island as we spent the night in total bliss and tranquility. The following day’s drive to Bohol’s best attraction, the Chocolate Hills, fueled us with excitement that morning. The new City was really put to the test in the 3.5 hours drive that took us crossing the municipalities of Dauis, Baclayon, Alburquerque, Loay, Dimiao, Valencia, Garcia Hernandez, Jagna, Duero, Guindulman, Candijay, Alicia, Pilar, Siera Bullones, and finally to Carmen (site of the Chocolate Hills view deck) on paved coastal roads. The long and relaxing drive on the new City certainly made me appreciate this car even more. Even with the searing heat of the mid-day sun, the increase airflow of the car kept us in cooling comfort. Overall, majority of the car features performed flawlessly, and the drive was indeed one of rule-changing comfort, performance, safety, and style. You can read my related article on Bohol here.  All VRs taken on March 2-3, 2009. The author can be reached at: fung@firefly.ph

Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines – Eighty-eight Petron gas stations will offer free service check-ups, as the oil firm kicks off its annual summer motorist assistance program, according to a statement from the company. Petron’s "Lakbay Alalay" program is on its 23rd year and is the biggest yet in terms of area covered, the statement said. For the first time, the company has expanded the program outside of Luzon, with 13 stations in the Visayas and 10 stations in Mindanao, it said. This adds to 40 Metro Manila stations, 14 Northern Luzon stations and 10 South Luzon stations offering free service check-ups, it said. Free service check-ups can be availed from March 1 to April 12 and are meant to help motorists prepare for their Holy Week travel, it said. Starting this month, participating Petron stations will offer free service checks on tire pressure, oil and radiator water level and brakes inspection, it said. During Holy Week, Petron will also offer free roadside assistance inside the major tollways including the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, South Luzon Expressway, Star Tollway and Coastal Road, it said. On April 8 to 9 (Holy Wednesday & Maundy Thursday) and then on April 11 to 12 (Black Saturday & Easter Sunday), Petron Lakbay Alalay teams will also offer free minor car repairs as well as first aid assistance, it said. Radio traffic reports courtesy of Petron will also keep motorists informed about driving conditions, it said. Petron also partnered with the Department of Transportation and Communication for "Ligtas-Lakbay, Tuloy ang Buhay," its road safety awareness advocacy designed to make travelers more safety-conscious, it said.

ROCK AND ROLL OVER. Cops of the summer capital now drive around in these all-terrain vehicles, part of its modernization drive. But police officers still have no weapon against second-hand smoke. (Photo by Vincent Cabreza of INQUIRER Northern Luzon Bureau)

By Fung Yu Contributor Author’s Note: This article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. Adobe Flash 9.0 or above is required to view the 360-degree VRs. Average VR size is 2.0Mb each. Yellow ‘hotspots’ are clickable. SO I got an invitation from Honda Cars Philippines a while back to test drive the all new Jazz for 2 days in picturesque Ilocos Norte. My first thought was to clear my schedules, refresh my memories of Ilocos, and pray that we’ll have fair weather during those days. Alas, I guess I didn’t pray hard enough. Having seen the 2008 Honda Jazz in the recent 2nd Philippine International Motor Show, I can say it is indeed a beauty. The new Jazz expresses dynamism and a super-forward looking form that you can readily see at a glance. The new body structure conforms to a variety of design requirements, including safety and spaciousness. This is a car that merges seemingly contradictory traits to genuinely enhance people’s lifestyles; the design is sporty yet spacious; performance is powerful yet efficient; utility is compact yet capacious, comfortable yet versatile. Among the new exterior features of the all-new Jazz are: the push-lift fuel lid that is synchronized with the door lock; the larger side-view mirrors providing 30 percent more visibility (as compare to the old Jazz); a wider 80-degree angle rear doors that open for easier loading and unloading; bigger front and rear lamps that provide more distinctive styling. As one enters the Jazz, you immediately notice the spaciousness of the interior, couple that with the wider glass area and larger front windshield makes you feel almost boundless. The cockpit is an awe-inspiring 3D design with large-diameter meters of sculpted surface and hairline accents; this exudes in a sporty and advanced feeling that contributes to enhanced visibility. One notable new feature in the dashboard is the fuel consumption meter; a first for small cars, this instantaneous and average reading of fuel consumption provides a LCD display of fuel utilization that translates to better economical driving. View 360VR So what was it like for a 2-day test drive with the Honda Jazz in Ilocos Norte? Our first day was rather gloomy. Rain clouds seem to follow us from Manila to Loaog; the only time we felt the warm sunshine was for a few minutes at 30,000 feet. We arrived in Honda Cars Ilocos before noon and after a sumptuous lunch and briefing, we all put on our Jazz t-shirts and did the first challenge: the utility contest. This challenge aims to show the spaciousness of the Jazz and by configuring the seats, you can stuffed big and long items together almost effortlessly. After which, it was finally time to do our test drives. The drive towards the town of Burgos is both idyllic and relaxing, along the way, we performed several more trivia challenges from counting palayoks (urn), haggling prices of some local commodities, to interviewing the caretaker of Cape Bojeador lighthouse; and lastly, en route to our resort, a treasure hunt in Paoay Church. We reached our place of accommodations after sunset, dinner was coupled with a picture sharing session, and a light social capped the night. View 360VR View 360VR Waking up in the Bali-inspired Playa Tropical Resort the next day, all well rested and up for another days’ activities; with weather a lot better, I took the wheel, this time of the 1.5 Jazz, on a leisurely cruise. Our group started the drive from Currimao to Saud Beach in Pagudpud; stopping at the town of Bangui to appreciate the giant wind turbines and more photo-ops. Compare to the 1.3 model we drove yesterday, the 1.5 Jazz feels much more ‘solid’, acceleration is more responsive, and a host of other features and technologies such as the paddle shift makes driving more enjoyable. View 360VR View 360VR View 360VR View 360VR We started the Eco Challenge after lunch. Four teams, with two teams driving the same engine displacement models pitted against each other in a ‘race’ of speed and fuel efficiency. With Ulysses Ang of motioncars.com at the helm and this writer as navigator, it took us about 1.5 hours to cover a distance of 66Km and consumed 2.9 liters of fuel, a 22.67 kilometers/liter average on uncongested rural roads. The other team did much better with a 30.39 kilometers/liter finish. Of the 4 teams in our batch, each team won a challenge or more: team 4 of Jouel Lacampuenga and Kankan Ramos won the utility challenge and the eco challenge in the 1.3 category; team 2 of Marvin Tan & Albert Goquingco won one category of the photo contest; team 1 of Roy Medina and Iñigo Roces won the utility challenge, the treasure hunt, another category of the photo contest, and the eco challenge for the 1.5 category, they also emerged as the overall winner; our team ate the most slices of pizza, oh wait, that wasn’t a challenge!? All VRs taken on October 15, 2008; with the exception of Bangui Wind Turbines, Poaoy Church and Cape Bojeador Lighthouse taken on December 2006. The author can be reach at: fung@firefly.ph.

By Leo Magno INQUIRER.net ALTHOUGH the 2008 Toyota Prius can hold its own in terms of stylishness and exterior aesthetics and aerodynamics, it is what lies within this vehicle that strikes me more than its superficial construction. I've never been one to adore form. Rather, I go for substance. And that's what I found most appealing in this vehicle. My own vehicles are not well-taken cared off on the outside, but their engines are humming like bulls raging to be released on the streets of Pamplona -- whether it's the color-coding car or my own daily road warrior. Beauty fades. Your cars will get dented and they will get old and ugly. You may even encounter fender-benders and those moronic street kids who steal side mirrors. But with the Prius I couldn't care less as long as its second-generation hybrid system continues to work its magic whether it's the high-output electric motor or the internal combustion engine that's making it move quickly and efficiently.
Yes, the Prius is a hybrid much like Michael Phelps who is half-man, half-shark. The vehicle runs on both a zero-emission, battery-run electric motor and a gas-fed engine. I don't know what Phelps runs on. During our test run of more than 200 kilometers, we achieved on the average more than 16 kilometers per liter of unleaded gas. In Metro Manila traffic, I even achieved 21 kpl over five days of city driving. Not bad for a 1.5-liter vehicle which gallops like my 1.8-liter car. And gallop this car can -- you can overtake vehicles with confidence at high speeds because the engine still has more to pump. Some people are even "hacking" the Prius so that it would run on pure EV (electric vehicle) mode. But as it is now, the vehicle saves a lot of gas during stop-and-go traffic because it runs on battery power, only to use gas as you drive faster. Toyota even plans to unveil a "pluggable" version which you can plug into an electric wall socket to charge the battery, which will in the future use lithium ion, the same kind of batteries used in laptops and cellular phones. This is not to say, however, that in the future you can just park your Prius beside the nearest Starbucks and use your cell phone charger or laptop adapter to juice up your car while sipping on latté. But enough of the talk. Watch our trip from Makati, Kawit in Cavite, Tagaytay, Laguna and back as we test drive the Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle, and see for yourself.

By Cenon Bibe Philippine Daily Inquirer IT WAS not what I had expected. The trip from our place in Cainta to the station of the Light Rail Transit in Santolan, Pasig City, usually took 15 to 20 minutes. In the morning of August 5, the day for the Santolan to C.M. Recto leg of the Rush Hour Commute project of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and INQUIRER.net, it took 40 minutes. Sitting in heavy traffic throughout the usually short trip, I was dead sure that I would be in for a long journey to Manila that morning. My watch read “8:12” a.m. as I met my partner Alex Villafania of INQUIRER.net at the waiting shed across the train station on Marcos Highway. We were supposed to have met before 8 a.m. to undertake our part of the project to gauge the various ways of getting from one point of Metro Manila to another. “If my trip is any indication, we can be sure that traffic will be killing us all the way to (Claro M.) Recto,” I told Alex, trying to prep him for our journey—a series of jeepney rides that would take us from Pasig to Cubao in Quezon City to San Juan and then to Manila. After a brief discussion of how we would go about our trip, we jumped onto a Cogeo-Cubao jeepney. “This would take us straight to Edsa,” I said. It would be in Cubao where we would take another jeepney to Recto. Traffic was light to moderate on the Cubao-bound lane of Marcos Highway, but the jeepney driver took his time trying to pick up every possible passenger he could find along the way. It was 8:18 a.m. and we had just crossed the Marcos Highway Bridge over the Marikina River when our journey came to a crawl. We later discovered that traffic was backed up from Aurora Boulevard, fronting the Philippine School of Business Administration (PSBA), to Barangka in Marikina City, because of a buildup of vehicles trying to navigate the U-Turn slot fronting the school. The less than one-kilometer stretch of road that intersected with Katipunan Avenue took eight minutes to conquer. “Simula pa lang yan,” I thought out loud. I was so sure the road to Cubao would be the real test of our resolve—or so I thought. The time was 8:26 a.m. when we passed by PSBA. Eight minutes later, we were already on the outskirts of the Cubao commercial center, or more precisely the Araneta Center. What?! Two to three kilometers in eight minutes? It must be a fluke. It should have taken at least 30 minutes. To my mind, it was impossible. Traffic was light to moderate. It was either something was wrong that day or it had been a very long time since I went to Cubao riding a jeepney that the traffic gridlock that I knew while I was growing up in Quezon City had become a thing of the past. Anyway, it was a very pleasant surprise. What was not surprising was when the jeepney that Alex and I had taken suddenly took a right turn at Stanford street. It was no longer going to Edsa. “Hanggang dito na lang po tayo,” the young yet be-mustachioed aide of the driver told us. Trip cutting...Well, some things don’t change. We didn’t get the full distance for the P10 a piece fare that we paid for the ride. Choosing not to protest, Alex and I jumped out and started an eight-minute walk to Westpoint street, right under the Araneta Center-Cubao station of the LRT Purple Line. After a minute wait, a jeepney came up from Westpoint and we jumped on as it turned right on Aurora Boulevard going toward Manila. “Brod, magkano hanggang Recto?” I asked the driver, who later gave his name as Roseldo Pacia, a 41-year-old driver from Batangas. Peering back to us through his rear-view mirror, Pacia responded, “Sebentin pipti.” Then, sounding more cautious than curious, he abruptly added, “Para saan ba yan?” as he looked back at Alex who was taking a video of passengers getting on. We explained about the project and that put him at ease. As we started this step of our journey, I was still waiting for the horrendous traffic that would make our morning miserable … but it did not happen. At least, it not happen where I had expected it to happen. Apart from the five-minute stops to wait for and pick up passengers at Seattle street, V. Mapa and Stop and Shop, the jeepney ride was smooth and continuous up to Pureza in Manila. Pacia later told us that traffic had become lighter partly because of the jump in fuel prices and largely because of the operation of the LRT. More people have been taking the train, said Pacia, who has been plying that Cubao-Divisoria route for the last 18 years. But the silver lining for commuters and motorists has been a dark line for drivers. The driver said that it had one mishap after another for them. The full operation of the LRT in 2004 saw their daily earnings fall from P1,500 to P700. When the price of diesel started it upward spiral, the P700 take home of drivers has gone down to P300, Pacia said. Passengers have been so scarce that when a saleslady paid 50 centavos short of the P8.50 minimum fare, Pacia said he was even thankful that she took his jeepney. As if to grant my “wish” of traffic turning heavy, vehicle flow came to a crawl from Pureza to the Nagtahan bridge and then from the Legarda station of the LRT to Mendiola. The “crawl” from Pureza to Mendiola took 15 minutes. From thereon, traffic was again light to moderate. By 9:38 a.m.—or 1 hour and 26 minutes later—Alex and I got to the CM Recto station of the LRT’s Purple Line. Not bad, I thought. The misery I had anticipated did not happen. Gladly, things did not turn out as I had expected. But even though I believed we made good time, we were still last among all the volunteers to the Rush Hour project to arrive at our destination. Well, the time and the P27.50 I spent for the trip were worth the adventure.

Editor's Note: This is an account of Team CAR in the Rush Hour Commute race written by Stephanie Asuncion and Elvira Mata. WE may have clocked in second and spent a fortune on gas, but we got to our destination without killing anyone for a seat. Best of all, our clothes were unwrinkled. Expecting the ride to be long, we packed mineral water, pan de sal, gummy bears, audio CDs and weird conversation ranging from the difference between WiFi and WeRoam and how to tell if that homeless man is sniffing glue or just happy to see us. Team CAR took an hour and 19 minutes to travel from EDSA North station all the way to Pasay Taft station, which has a distance of 16.8 kilometers. A dry run of the same route done on a rainy Sunday took all of 22 minutes. Team CAR members are: driver Elvira Mata, navigator and note taker Stephanie Asuncion, both from the Philippine Daily Inquirer and videographer Alex Villafania of INQUIRER.net. The Honda CRV 2004 (manual transmission) traveled an average of 7.8 km per liter of unleaded gasoline. Elvira had two pan de sals, Stephanie had a handful of gummy bears while Alex just drank water. Timeline and details follow: 8:01 a.m. Elvira, Stephanie and Alex meet on Edsa beside the North Avenue MRT station. While waiting for Alex to arrive, Elvira and Stephanie look up at the MRT overpass and gasped as they watched the long line of sardines, er, people inch their way from the stairs to the counter to buy tickets. Alex has texted saying he was on the other side of EDSA trying to cross (part or swim) through the multitudes. Opening prayer: Thank God we chose to take the car. 8:02 a.m. A quick establishing shot, a round of introductions, and they're off! Stephanie offers sustenance in the form of gummy bears, Elvira apologizes for her "hooded look," mumbling something about not wishing anyone to see her face on the Internet and yes, she is taking medication for the strange behavior, while Alex takes a swig of mineral water, perhaps to calm his nerves? Kidding. Final destination: Pasay-Taft MRT station. 8:06 a.m. Four minutes into the race, Team CAR is caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic near the Timog Avenue flyover. Stephanie tells Elvira to turn right, find a short cut, anything as long as they're moving. Because of Elvira's inability to swerve like a crazy person, Team car gets stuck a few meters from GMA-7. A jampacked MRT train zips by. We wonder if team MRT is on that train. Elvira pops in a CD in the player, Ravi Shankar's "Chants of India" and everyone settles in for a very slow, clutch-riding trip. 8:16 a.m. Team car still caught in traffic near the GMA-Kamuning MRT station. It starts to drizzle. Dark clouds loom over the horizon. We spot a man on a motorcycle dressed for the worst weather—bright yellow raincoat down to his ankles, shoes wrapped in plastic bags, one, SM blue and the other, clear plastic. Alex, a techie, sends updates to the mother net. 8:22 a.m. Team CAR reaches GMA-Kamuning MRT station. Finally. The drizzle turns into a heavy downpour. Alex, who's shooting the sights, tries to roll down the windows at the back but they are stuck. Uh-oh. Elvira explains this is the first time she's had this many human passengers (she usually travels with cats) so the doors and windows are hardly ever used. 8:24 a.m. Traffic eases up a bit. Another MRT train races past the team. We are now on top of the Edsa Kamuning flyover. Mercifully, Elvira gives her CD of Indian chanting a rest and turns on the AM radio: Mike Enriquez reports about a fire at the Good Earth Emporium in Sta. Cruz, Manila that has affected LRT operations. Stephanie: Good thing MRT operations are normal, otherwise, this race would be reset and we'd all have to get up at 5 a.m. Again. Elvira: I've only seen the dawn twice. This is my second time. 8:29 a.m. Team CAR crawls past EDSA-Kamuning intersection. Elvira is stressed by the radio news and plays her Indian chanting CD again. All together now: Deep, cleansing breath. 8:32 a.m. Vehicles start to pick up speed near the Aurora underpass in Cubao. On our right, passenger buses take turns to cross the Aurora Boulevard-EDSA intersection. Motorcycle riders definitely have an advantage over us, as they can weave in and out of traffic. The downside, however, is that they are exposed to the elements. 8:37 a.m. Team CAR moves at a much faster pace and reaches Araneta Center-Cubao MRT station. Nine stations (of the cross?) to go. 8:39 a.m. Traffic builds up near the Santolan flyover as passenger buses swerve to the left to get on the flyover. 8:41 a.m. On top of the flyover, we see a long line of vehicles occupying all lanes on EDSA all the way to the Santolan MRT station. 8:42 a.m. After the Santolan MRT station, vehicles start to pick up speed. It starts to rain again. A Krispy Kreme billboard makes Stephanie's mouth water. 8:45 a.m. The car is traveling at 60 kph, the team's fastest speed since the start of the race. 8:47 a.m. Team car passes the Ortigas MRT station, slowing down as we approach Shaw underpass. 8:53 a.m. The good news is that the rain has stopped. The bad news is that we are moving at a snail's pace as we approach Pioneer Street. We pass by the Boni MRT station four minutes later. Buses and taxis crowd the yellow lane, watched closely by MMDA traffic enforcers. People in rain gear stand at intersections while those who forgot their umbrellas at home seek shelter underneath the MRT station. At the corner of EDSA-Mandaluyong rotunda, two MMDA traffic enforcers hold up signs which read, "Bawal bumisina (Don't honk)." 8:58 a.m. Traffic stretches all the way to the Guadalupe MRT station. Change of pace. Elvira pops in Alanis Morrisette's latest CD "Flavors of Entanglement." Team is happy that after four quiet years, Alanis has another CD out. But is it as good as her phenomenal "Jagged Little Pill" CD? Not too bad. 9:02 a.m. We finally reach the MRT station in Guadalupe. The yellow lane is empty. Where have all the buses gone? Several billboards catch our attention especially that of a hottie lying supine, dressed only in his underwear. Eye candy. Alex disagrees but quietly. 9:05 a.m. Team CAR is caught in heavy traffic once more as it approaches the intersection of Estrella Street. Aaaaaaarghs! Team MRT is probably having breakfast and reading the Inquirer at the Mall of Asia. 9:07 a.m. Team CAR joins the long line of vehicles inching their way along the Ayala underpass. 9:11 a.m. We pick up speed. 9:13 a.m. We are traveling at 65 kph (a record!) as we approach Magallanes MRT station. 9:18 a.m. We finally arrive at our destination - Pasay MRT station. Stephanie keeps a sharp eye out for a gas station, Elvira dreams of pancakes for breakfast, while Alex wants to go straight to the INQUIRER.net office to upload the video of this amazing race. For more accounts about Day 1 of the Rush Hour Commute race, visit this website.

By Aida Sevilla-Mendoza Philippine Daily Inquirer DRIVING fast is not much fun these days -- what with oil prices soaring and the guilty feeling that pricks your conscience when you exceed 100 kph. So you learn to moderate your speed in your daily commute. Just the same, you still want a car that can zoom way ahead of the pack when the spirit moves you on the highway. Enter the 2008 Subaru Impreza 2.0R Sport. Although Subaru still has to gain brand awareness among the public in this country, among car cognoscenti Subaru enjoys a cult-like following due to the Impreza WRX’s winning streak in the World Rally Championship. A lesser known Impreza, the 2008 2.0R Sport hatchback with either 5-speed manual (P1.060 million) or 4-speed Sportshift automatic transmission (P1.140 million) was launched in Manila last November by Motor Image Pilipinas, the distributor of Subaru vehicles. Motor Image’s intro of the new 2.0-liter, H-4 (horizontally opposed 4 cylinders) naturally aspirated Impreza Sport together with the 2008 2.5-liter, H-4 turbo WRX follows the decision of Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru’s parent company, to come up with an Impreza that appeals to a wider base of the global car market, i.e. women and middle-aged men. Before this, the only Imprezas available in the Philippines were the second gen turbo 224-hp WRX and 300-hp STI, high-priced variants that were built for boy racers. The Impreza 2.0R Sport has the same body (except for the air intake scoop on the WRX’s hood), the same dimensions, underpinnings and all-wheel-drive (AWD) system as the WRX. What makes the WRX more than P600,000 costlier, of course, is its rally-bred, more powerful 2.5-liter DOHC turbo-charged boxer engine. You may ask why the Impreza 2.0R Sport packing 150 PS/6,500 rpm and 196 Nm/3,200 rpm max torque should be priced higher than the award-winning Honda Civic 2.0 SL AT or the snazzy 2.0-liter Mazda3 R. The answer is simple: Subaru’s trademark symmetrical AWD provides added safety and traction advantage, outstanding ride comfort and more precise handling. The Impreza’s superb chassis dynamics is based on its sophisticated AWD system coupled with a low-friction, long wheel travel 4-wheel independent suspension and boxer engine which, with its cylinders horizontally opposed, gives the car a lower center of gravity for improved road grip, reduced body roll and more agile steering response. In the 2008 Impreza, the engine and transmission are dropped almost 10 mm lower in the all-new chassis, further enhancing roadholding and stability. Add improved chassis rigidity and a lighter body weight to this equation. Still not impressed by the Impreza? Then look at its long list of standard equipment aside from the aluminum 2.0-liter DOHC boxer engine and symmetrical AWD: telescopic steering wheel with audio switches, information display, push-button ignition switch, 6-CD changer with 10 speakers, an auxiliary audio input jack, disc brakes on all four 17-inch alloy wheels with ABS, EBD and brake assist, front airbags, HID headlamps, front and rear fog lamps, power folding door mirrors, retractable cargo cover and Hill Start Assist for MT models. To enhance customer appeal, Subaru totally restyled the Impreza. Subaru has never won an award for esthetic design, but the 2008 Impreza hatchback is an improvement over previous generations. The wide tracks, broad shoulder lines and side body creases create a sporty profile while front and rear under spoilers, a roof spoiler, side skirts and a chrome exhaust garnish add pizzazz. The quirky LED taillights are the only things out of sync in the redesign. Inside, the new Impreza is more refined with higher quality materials and an improved dashboard layout with sporty, subtly lighted instruments. There is more space, especially for rear seat passengers, due to a longer wheelbase, wider body and wider track. The new multi-link double wishbone rear suspension, being more compact than the previous rear strut arrangement, increases cargo area to one of the widest in this class even with the rear seats upright. The Impreza’s 2.0-liter flat four engine has undergone substantial revisions resulting in sharper throttle response, higher torque output available in the lower rev range and improved fuel economy with less exhaust emissions. I test-drove both the MT and Sportshift AT models and confirmed that the AT is actually slightly more fuel-efficient as it has a device reducing wasted engine revs and an electronic throttle matching engine speed with the best gear for any situation. Summing up, the 2.0 liter Impreza Sport is a worthy alternative to mainstream compact cars as it offers good engine performance, outstanding roadholding stability, ride comfort and the versatility of a hatchback. But since the Subaru brand is not yet well known here, its resale value may be lower than its competitors. * * * TODAY’S BUMPER STICKER: Caution: Driver reads Braille.

By Aida Sevilla-Mendoza Philippine Daily Inquirer CHINA is the third largest country in the world in land area and the largest in population with 1.2 billion. China is also, after the United States, the world’s second largest car market (8.8 million motor vehicles sold in 2007) with sales rising nearly 20 percent every year, and it aims to be the world’s second largest automobile manufacturing country. Naturally, when this giant holds its bi-annual international auto show, it has got to be on the grandest scale, with car makers from all over the world scrambling to showcase their best and gain market share. The 10th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, a.k.a. Auto China 2008, opened on April 22 and ended last Monday at the new China International Exhibition Center. It had 106,000 square meters of indoor space in eight halls, all displaying passenger vehicles plus 80,000 sq m outdoors; 2,100 exhibitors of which 225 were from 18 countries; a total of 890 models, almost 100 brand-new, with 55 concept cars, seven global debuts and 24 Asian debuts. Nearly 10,000 domestic and overseas reporters attended the press days (April 20-21) and 600,000 visitors were expected, including 30,000 foreigners. The theme, “Dream, Harmony and New Vision” aptly has “dream” as the first word. Independent Chinese car manufacturers -- those that have not formed joint ventures with European, American, Japanese or Korean brands -- dream of breaking into the European and North American markets, which comprise 50 to 60 percent of the world market. Among the dreamers is Chery, China’s foremost state-owned automaker, which displayed 26 models in a 2,500-sq-m exhibit area, one of the largest in the show. The theme “Safe and Save” underscored Chery’s goal to build much safer, more energy-saving and more eco-friendly cars. Faira and Higgo At Auto China 2008, Chery unveiled two new concepts: the Faira series, Chery’s interpretation of stylish, fuel-efficient, emission-reducing 1.3-liter small cars and the Higgo SUV and pickup to meet the growing demand for sturdy utility vehicles in China. An upgraded version of the A3 sedan, was shown, ready for launching in China this year. The Oasis Series. consisting of vehicles with diesel, hybrid, fuel cell and flex fuel engines, included the Chery A5 hybrid, the official car of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The display of 26 models at Auto China 2008 showed Chery’s determination to expand its product lineup to cover all passenger vehicle market segments and to eventually achieve global recognition as an independent international brand. In terms of sales by brand, Chery ranks third in China behind Volkswagen and General Motors. At a press conference, Dr. Zhang Lin, general manager of Chery International, said that Chery began exporting cars in 2001 (four years after its factory began operating), exported 119,800 units in 2007 to 60 countries and plans to export 180,000 units this year. For five years now, Chery has led passenger vehicle manufacturers in China in export volume. Every year in Wuhu, Chery produces 650,000 vehicles, 400,000 engines and 300,000 gearboxes. In 2007, Chery sold 387,000 cars and last August rolled out its millionth car. Chery has more than 500 distribution and service centers in China and factories in Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia and Uruguay. Aside from a technology testing center and a planning and design institute, Chery has an Automotive Engineering and Research Institute with more than 5,000 engineers in Wuhu. Deals Last year, Chery struck separate deals with Fiat and Chrysler whereby Chery will supply engines to the Fiat group and design and develop seven new small car models for Chrysler starting with the A1, which will be sold in Mexico under the Dodge brand. Dr. Zhang said that even without Chrysler, Chery was developing the A1 for the global market. As it is, Chrysler engineers have gone to Wuhu and Chery engineers have gone to Mexico to study local market and road conditions. However, Chery’s drive to enter the US market was stalled somewhat when Phil Murtaugh, the CEO of Chrysler’s Asia operations, told the Associated Press in Beijing that neither Chery nor Chrysler think that the A1 has met Chyrsler’s requirements for safety. Murtaugh said that safety is “a huge challenge” because of the A1’s size and its body structure needs work. Dr. Zhang admitted that meeting US and European homologation requirements in terms of safety and emissions will take some time, but Chery is “technically confident” that it can. Durability is not a problem, said Dr. Zhang, since Chery tests its cars in the heat of Saudi Arabia’s desert and the cold of Russia’s winter. To prove the reliability of its cars, Chery switched on the ignition of an A3 for a 100,000-kilometer uninterrupted public test at the Beijing auto show. While more and more car buyers in the United States are switching from big sport utility vehicles to small, fuel-sipping cars, those in China are increasingly interested in big SUVs and full-size luxury cars. Blame it on the high cost of gasoline in the United States ($3.50 a gallon) while China’s subsidized fuel price (below $3 a gallon) and the rising wealth of the Chinese middle class have stimulated sales of bigger, more upscale vehicles. The April 2008 China Automotive Review reports that last year, 357,400 units of SUVs were sold in China, up 50 percent. For the first two months this year, sales of SUVs in China jumped 38 percent and sales of luxury cars rose 30 percent. In 2007, sales of mini- and subcompact cars such as the Chery QQ grew just 3.9 percent to 1.27-million vehicles even as sales of compact and midsize cars like the Volkswagen Jetta and Toyota Camry grew 32 percent to 3.34-million vehicles, the auto market researcher CSM Worldwide said. Bigger Even first-time car buyers, who according to J.D. Power and Associates account for four-fifths of all new cars sold in China, want bigger, more impressive vehicles. The shift in China’s booming car market (1.85-million vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2008 alone) is good news for multinational car manufacturers like VW, General Motors, Peugeot, Fiat, Renault, Honda, Toyota, Ford, that have joint ventures with Chinese firms. Ditto the luxury car makers doing business in China, where 177 Ferraris were sold in 2007, Mercedes-Benz sales went up 50 percent and BMW, up 42 percent year on year. Incidentally, China is the world's third largest market for Rolls Royce. But China’s growing appetite for pricier cars presents a problem for independent, home-grown Chinese automakers like Chery Automobile Co. that have focused on low-cost ($4,500) subcompacts like the Chery QQ. The trend did not affect Chery’s bigger models such as the 1.6-liter A5 and the 2.0-liter Eastar, but Chery had to rely largely on strong overseas demand for the QQ to boost 2007 sales by 30 percent from a year earlier to a total of 392,000 vehicles. In 2007, according to the Chinese Commerce Ministry, China sold 612,700 cars abroad, mostly in the emerging markets of Latin America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russia and Southeast Asia, with Chery as the leading exporter. Not surprisingly, China carmakers are cultivating markets in the developing countries where safety and emission standards are lower and a cheap price is a deciding factor. Safety But even in the emerging markets, concerns about the safety and quality of Chinese cars prevail. To win customers, Chinese auto dealers have to offer extended warranties and prices that are 20 to 25 percent lower than competitors’. Unfortunately, several made-in-China vehicles such as the Landwind SUV and Brilliance Auto’s B56 sedan flunked crash tests conducted by the Association of German Automobile Clubs (Adac) and US magazine Car and Driver. Although Chery and other independent Chinese brands have a long way to go to overcome the safety issue, they are already eyeing the lucrative US and West European markets. At its 2008 International Business Conference in Beijing, Chery’s action plans for this year included an entry strategy for Europe and the United States, developing International Export Model Standard Versions and choosing which products are ripe for these highly sophisticated and discriminating markets. Chery is tapping foreign automotive expertise to improve its products such as Italian auto design studios Bertone, Pininfarina and Turino (the latter for the Faira and Storm 2 concept cars exhibited at the recent Beijing Auto Show) and auto parts/components manufacturers such as Bosch, Delphi, Mobil, Lear, Autoliv and Valeo. Chery’s plant in Wuhu has the latest machinery from Germany and robots from Italy. Dream In its dream to establish itself as a world-class independent international brand in the global car market, Chery is following Toyota as its benchmark and role model. Despite the formidable hurdles in their path, particularly regarding safety and quality, China automakers aspire to eventually take on American, German and Japanese car manufacturers in their own home turf. The inexorable march of China’s automotive industry toward this goal is being closely watched by the whole world. Will the Chinese succeed in graduating from the emerging markets to Western Europe and North America the way the Japanese and South Korean automakers did? Certainly, it will take years of upgrading and brand-building before Chinese cars connote quality instead of cheap prices. But industry observers note that China has a fast learning curve. As some people are saying, it took Japanese carmakers 30 years and Koreans, 10 years. China will take only five. * * * TODAY’S BUMPER STICKER: Get in. Sit down. Shut up. Hang on.

By Aida Sevilla-Mendoza Philippine Daily Inquirer IN THE PHILIPPINE car industry, there are two groups: the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and the non-Campi. The non-Campi are considered mavericks or upstarts that, for one reason or another, dropped out of Campi or have not joined the Campi establishment. Early this month, the non-Campi showcased their products at the 4th Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) at the World Trade Center. The new wrinkle in the 4th MIAS was the participation of two Chinese car manufacturers—Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. and Chana. The newest kids on the block occupied large pavilions and unveiled cute minicars that are priced to grab market share from the Suzuki Alto, Chevrolet Spark and Kia Picanto. Many people have heard of Chery, which entered the Philippine market last year and now has 28 dealerships all over the country. Geely, another Chinese brand, set up a distribution hub in the Subic Freeport in 2007. But Chana? Precisely why Chana chose MIAS 2008 for the Philippine debut of several new models led by the 1.3-liter, SOHC, 16-valve Benni De Luxe MT. Priced at P438,000, the Benni delivers 84 hp, has power steering, power windows, airbag, ABS, fog lamps, engine immobilizer and, surprise!—it is Euro III compliant. The other cars Chana displayed were the Star II (P450,000) and CM8 (P495,000), both of which are 1.3-liter, 7-seater, Euro III-compliant multipurpose vans with manual transmission. Chery began manufacturing motor vehicles 40 years later than Chana, yet it has forged ahead to become China’s biggest independent car company. Established in March 1997 with government money in Anhui, one of China’s poorest provinces, Chery produced its millionth car last August and turns out 400,000 cars and engines a year. The state-owned Chery exported more than 100,000 cars last year and targets selling one million cars annually by 2010 as it aspires to compete globally. The latest feather in Chery’s cap is the deal it signed last July with American automaker Chrysler to produce subcompacts that Chrysler will start selling under the Dodge brand in Latin America and other developing countries late this year and in the United States and Europe by 2009. Last month, the Chery QQ was the only Chinese marque to make the list of China’s five top-selling passenger car models. The QQ ranked fifth after the Volkswagen Santana, Honda Accord, VW Jetta and Buick Excelle. At MIAS 2008, the Chery exhibit included an apple green QQ 1.1-liter MT (P349,000), the 2.0-liter Tiggo sport utility vehicle AT (P799,000) and the 1.3-liter V2 minivan MT (P489,000). The centerpiece was the A1, which was unveiled by top brass from Asia Pacific Chery International and Iseway Motors, the exclusive Philippine distributor of Chery cars. Assembled at Chery’s high-tech factory in the Yangtze River port city of Wuhu, the A1 was designed with assistance from Italian auto design studio Bertone, is powered by a 1.3-liter engine developed with help from the Austrian engineering consultancy firm AVI that specializes in internal combustion engines, and outfitted with parts from Honeywell International and Visteon. Since 2003, Chery has been bringing foreign technology and expertise to Wuhu as it aims to compete in the United States and Europe with bigger, more sophisticated engines. Its plant in Wuhu is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery imported from Europe such as German precision-milling machines, Italian robots and a paint shop project from Germany. The A1 is the subcompact that Chrysler plans to export around the world under its Dodge brand. Chrysler will modify the A1 and models based on it to meet each market’s safety and environmental rules. A Wall Street Journal reporter who drove the A1 over 3,700 kilometers across Xinjiang last August wrote that the car performed admirably for a small car in city traffic, on highways, up and down hills, off-road and in the desert. Since it has a 1.3-liter engine, the A1 accelerated sluggishly, more so when there were four adults on board. But it was surprisingly smooth and quiet even at high speeds (160 kph) and the aircon kept its cool even in the desert. However, the WSJ reporter said that the fit-and-finish of the interior was somewhat below par. Given the wariness toward Chinese products following the US recalls of some products from China due to defects or toxic contents, it may take years for Chinese cars to attract buyers in the First World. They will have to convince consumers that an inexpensive new Chinese-made car is a better value than a used Japanese or American car. But as an industry analyst in the United States pointed out, the learning curve for the Chinese automakers will be much, much faster than that of the Korean and the Japanese automakers. * * * TODAY’S BUMPER STICKER: If only you drove as perfect as me.