Motoring: The top 3 finds at the Manila International Auto Show

The biggest auto show in the country was back this year, featuring some of the best brands around the world. GMA News Online toured the mega showroom over the weekend to find the most notable offerings now available to Pinoy buyers.

The return of the throwback


 
Volkswagen re-entered the Philippine market in 2013, and is making reawakening the old flame within the hearts of its fans. The new 1.2-liter Beetle is back for as low as P1.59 million, while its 1.4-liter cousin commands P1.79 million. A welcome development is the offering of sub-P1 million vehicles in the Polo, with its 1.6 Sedan going as low as P932,000 and the hatchback version selling for P950,000.

"We have cars that attract a broader range of age. For example, the Beetle: we have old Beetle fans, and we have children of former Beetle owners who would also like to have a Beetle," said Volkswagen marketing head Arnelio Doria. "We have cars for baby boomers who have the money to spend and who can buy the cars that they like, but we also have cars in the budget level like the Polo."

The iconic German brand knows that it's a tough task to conquer the Philippine market.

"Volkswagen just came back to the Philippines in 2013. It was absent for a long time," Doria said. "It takes time before people will appreciate and begin to embrace the brand. The other brands that you see here have been around for 30 to 50 years, so there's a handicap that we have to work on."

With that in mind, the brand aims to bank on the driving experience it offers to rekindle the old flame with Filipinos.

"It's German engineering. It carries a lot of meaning being a German-engineered car, design-wise, safety features-wise, engineering-wise, the way it was built," said Doria.

"Most of our cars are available in Europe. They're driven in Europe, especially in Germany—where you have the Autobahn where there's no speed limit," said Doria. "You can drive any of these cars and go up to the speed without experiencing body roll, vibration or wind noise, whereas most of the mainstream cars we have here are designed for countries with speed limits. So if you drive more than 200 kph the car's behavior is different. If you drive in NLEX within the speed limits, the behavior is different."

VW's most expensive offering is the Touareg, which packs a 3.0 V6 engine. The SUV sells for P4.290 million.

Three letters reinventing another three


 
Another car manufacturer occupying prime realty space at the MIAS was BMW. Interestingly, the German automaker didn't bring along its sedan and SUV variants. Rather, it brought three of the same thing: the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer.

"The 2 Series is the newest model in the BMW family. This is the venue for the first public showing of this car," said Karl Magsuci, marketing director of Asian Carmakers Corporation, BMW's importer in the Philippines. "This is a statement for BMW because the 2 Series Active Tourer is the first ever MPV [multi-purpose vehicle] of BMW."

Magsuci added that BMW wants to broaden its market. "BMW needs to adapt to the changing requirements of the market, and looking at the trend in the automotive industry globally, the growth segment is in the compact and the MPV market—compact families, limited spaces, more fuel-efficient cars, more functional cars. That's why they came up with the Active Tourer."

The vehicle stretches 4,342 mm long and is 1,800 mm wide, while towering at 1,555 mm high. It has enough space for the family, but still exudes the elegance of any other BMW variant.

"When you tell people about the MPV, they'd say it's a boring car, it's a soccer mom car, pick up the kids, do the groceries," Magsuci added. "With BMW, they made sure that even if it's an MPV, it's a car that's really functional. It can accommodate many things and passengers, yet the DNA is still there which is the proper driving dynamics...It handles like a proper BMW but the technology that's put into the car is made in such a way it's very fuel efficient and yet it's powerful enough for you to enjoy that drive."

The lone BMW variant available on the market goes for P2.9 million.

The alternative of all alternatives


 
Admittedly, not all visitors to the car show were looking for luxury. And for those looking for the best bang for their buck, Indian carmaker Tata showcased some of the most cost-effective cars in the market

"Yung multicabs meron kami, yung pang delivery lang siya, the Ace, mga 700 cc parang motor," said Tata's Karlene Santos. "Pero instead na mag-motor ka, sasakyan na po yung ginawa ni Tata, for safety narin ng mga nagde-deliver. Tapos yung Super Ace para sa mas malalayong biyahe like sa province."

The fully-customizable Ace micro truck starts at P360,000 up to P440,000.

Tata also now offers sedans. "The most affordable variant we have is the Indigo," said Santos. "Pwede siyang taxi, pwede siyang private. It has a turbo diesel direct injection engine."

The Indigo demands just P20,000 in down payment and a monthly amortization of P9,052 for five years.

The Indian car manufacturer also has a hatchback called Vista. Its gas variant is at P565,000 with an P18,000 down payment and a P9,742 monthly amortization for five years. Its top of the line sedan, the Manza, is being offered at P600,000 for gas engines with a P20,000 down payment and a P10,345 amortization for five years.

Where MIAS missed the mark

The event was indeed a success, with thousands of visitors flocking to the booths and the test drive stations outdoors. However, it still had its drawbacks. MIAS boasts that it had more than 100,000 visitors last year. This year, the same number of people may have flocked the event, but the venue struggled to cater to the sheer number of people. Parking was scarce, and for an event that celebrated cars, visitors were forced to trust their vehicles to vagrants manning illegal parking slots with all the legitimate parking slots full.

The organizers also "forced" visitors to go through all exhibition halls. Once done with the main hall showcasing all the top manufacturers, people are directed to walk through dozens of smaller booths selling everything from car cleaning devices to rubber shoes.

It is far less prestigious than other foreign motor shows, but still packs a lot of promise. With years under its belt, the MIAS still has a lot room for improvement, once it realizes who it is really catering to. — BM, GMA News