A year of milestones in the auto industry

MB Motoring Section

he past year may seem to have zoomed by for most, but it certainly won’t be easily forgotten. There was no shortage of excitement in the automotive industry, with headlinegrabbing new vehicle launches, milestones, motor shows, and races.

Large market Evidence of the eventful year that passed can be seen in the auto industry sales figures recently released by the Chamber of Automobile Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI), the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID), and the Truck Manufacturers’ Association (TMA). Total new vehicle sales have reached yet another milestone, breaching the 400,000 unit mark, leaping closer to the industry’s target of 500,000 in 2020.

This figure was bolstered by several key new models. Foremost is the arrival of yet another new brand to the growing selection automakers in the market, Ssangyong, distributed by Berjaya Auto Philippines. Ssangyong’s return serves as yet another vote of confidence in the growing auto industry, and only spoils buyers even more for choice.

To show just how much choice there is, the country’s top manufacturers and distributors put together not one, but two auto shows with which to unveil many of the year’s new models. These events were the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) and the Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS). For those that prefer their mode of transport with just two wheels, there was the Inside Racing Bike Festival and Trade Show.

New models Besides the motor shows, the arrival of several hotly anticipated new models had whet the appetites of keen buyers. Perhaps the most awaited of all was the arrival of the new Honda Civic, offering aggressive sporty styling as well as serving as Honda’s first foray into turbocharged engines. The truck wars continue to rage on as Chevrolet unveiled the latest versions of its combatants, the 2016 Colorado and Trailblazer. Those with family in mind were also catered to with the arrival of the all-new Innova, as well as Honda’s novel new model, the BR-V compact seven-seater SUV.

Yet as tempting as these cars were, arguably the scene-stealers of 2016 were the sports cars. Nissan Philippines had brought in its highlytouted “Godzilla,” the GT-R. The challenge wouldn’t go unanswered with Audi’s R8 V10, Lamborghini’s Huracan, and Ferrari’s 488 GTB, and Toyota’s 86. And for those that would rather take it slow and in style, Rolls-Royce offered the Dawn four-seat convertible.

The two-wheel industry didn’t take the year sitting down either. Ayala Automotive had opened its flagship KTM store in the Bonifacio Global City. Meanwhile, established brands like Honda and Yamaha had each marked milestones in manufacturing, assembling their five-millionth and one-millionth units respectively.

New agency Naturally, the massive influx of vehicles had also brought along with it a frighteningly large volume of traffic. To address this worrying issue, the Duterte administration worked quickly to unify the numerous bodies of authority overseeing authority into one coordinated entity, the Inter-Agency Council for Tracffic (I-ACT). Composed of the MMDA, LTO, LTFRB, and HPG, the council regularly convenes to discuss new measures and solutions for the growing traffic problem in Metro Manila. Among the most successful projects of the council is its recent deployment of Point-to-point (P2P) buses conceived to take commuters from the busiest points