Peugeot redux

Peugeot Philippines has gotten the local automotive scene excited at the start of the year, basically by relaunching the French marque with the announcement of new partnerships.

The French brand is stoking that excitement by adding a new vehicle —the new Peugeot 3008 SUV— and providing updates on its aggressive expansion plans for 2022.

“We are thrilled to launch the new Peugeot 3008 SUV, which is our next step in the revitalization of the Peugeot lineup in the Philippines,” said Maricar Parco, Peugeot Philippines Brand Head.

“This vehicle is a leader in the compact SUV market with an outstanding commercial performance in Europe and internationally. We are confident that its success will carry on in the Philippines,” she added.

Raoul Picello, Peugeot Philippines managing director, also announced construction at its new dealership in Alabang is underway and would be opening in March.

Even better news from Picello is that construction on two other dealerships—Peugeot Cebu and Peugeot Davao—will start very soon.

All this should be good news for Peugeot owners in the country as it signifies the French brand’s intention to stay in the country.

Not only to stay but also to expand and become a major player in the country.

Just listen to what Picello said: “Customer response to our brand has been positive since we relaunched the company last January 17, and we look forward to continue this momentum with each new Peugeot vehicle and showroom that we will introduce to the Philippine market.”

DOMINANT ISUZU

Isuzu is certainly living up to its tagline as a responsible partner. Especially to those in the business of transporting passengers and cargo.

Citing a combined report from the Truck Manufacturers Association Inc. (TMA) and the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI), Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) said it has again topped truck sales.

This makes it 22 years of dominating the market for trucks, Isuzu said.

In the latest CAMPI-TMA report, Isuzu sold a total of 4,427 trucks for a 45.5% market share.

Breaking down truck sales further, Isuzu said it sold 2,745 units of Category III light-duty trucks, for a 56% market share.

It also sold 1,397 units of Category IV medium trucks for a 38.3% market share.

Isuzu wasn’t as dominant in Category V heavy duty truck segment, selling 285 units or a 25.3% segment share.

IPC president Hajime Koso attributed the two decades of dominance to Isuzu’s global reputation as a leading truck maker known for durability and reliability as well as excellent aftersales support.

Koso added that Isuzu continues to innovate in providing timely transport and business solutions to customers, citing the new N-Series Smoother AMT trucks.

The new N-Series Smoother is the first light-duty truck in the market with an automated manual transmission.

“We are confident that this new innovating truck will have the similar success as other models in our lineup,” said Koso.

LRT-1 VIADUCT

The viaduct for Phase 1 of the LRT-1 extension to Cavite is now in place.

This is a significant achievement as it sets the stage for the laying of rails and the installation of the electrical system. As the same time, construction of stations can begin. Phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension project covers five stations from the Redemptorist Station, MIA Station, Asiaworld Station, Ninoy Aquino Station to the Dr. A Santos Station.

Light Rail Transit Corporation president and CEO Juan F. Alonso is rightfully proud of the “commitment and sacrifice of all our teams, who displayed resilience amidst unsettling conditions and the determination to deliver with excellence” in achieving this milestone.

“With the support from our various partners in the public and private sectors, this project was able to achieve significant progress despite the limitations of the pandemic,” Alonso said.

Bouygues Travaux Publics, is the Engineering Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor for the project.

It must be said that Bouygues Travaux Publics is a global player in construction operating in more than 80 countries from 5 continents, and an expert in large-scale projects involving tunnels, engineering structures, as well as road, port and rail infrastructures.

SUBWAY PROGRESS

Another rail project that is making good progress toward completion is the Metro Manila Subway.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has announced that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed the second tranche of the loan agreement for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), making available an additional 253 billion yen for the country’s first-ever underground railway system.

In announcing this development, the DOTr said construction of the MMSP’s partial operability section from Valenzuela to North Avenue is now in full swing following the arrival of two Tunnel Boring Machines last year.

NLEX CONNECTOR

Also making good progress is the 8-km NLEX Connector project that will extend the NLEX southward from Caloocan Interchange on C3 road to the Skyway Stage 3 near the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

NLEX Corporation announced that construction of the 3-km NLEX Connector Sta. Mesa Section has started with bored piling and foundation works along Antipolo Street, Sampaloc, Manila.

“Progress of the NLEX Connector Sta. Mesa Section will be more visible now as we start laying the foundation for this segment,” said NLEX Corporation president and GM Luigi Bautista.

The NLEX Connector is expected to “help decongest Metro Manila traffic and improve connectivity between seaports in Manila and airports in NAIA and Clark.” Happy Motoring!!! For comments & inquiries email sunshine.television@yahoo.com or visit www.motoringtoday.ph.