Motoring Today Column

Jul 05, 2017

For the past several weeks I had a much-needed break and a "must have" reunion for us remaining senior siblings. A Scandinavian cruise brought my brother and fellow Star columnist, Rey, his wife Evelyn and daughter Ina, my wife Babes, her US-based sister Linda, my daughter Kristine (DJ Suzy to her friends and radio fans) and myself together with our retired computer programming expert and US-based brother Ed, his wife Raquel and daughters Michelle and Pamy and family. There is a certain stage in one's life when you value and take every opportunity to get together and bond with your love ones. This is especially true when you begin to liken yourself to a roll of toilet paper that's almost at its end, which somehow begins to roll a lot faster than when it was still thick and full.

As you may know, going on a cruise doesn't mean that you stay afloat in the ocean all the time. There are land excursions to give you a chance to see quite a few of the sights of the country you visit along the way. In these excursions during our trip I was able to see and observe a lot of things related to motoring, which I shall be mentioning in my future articles in this column. Suffice to say, we still have a long, long way to go to even go near to what the other countries have done. And judging by the way things are going presently-sadly not in this generation. Of course, I hope I would be proven wrong.

A week before I left for my European trip I was part of the motoring media group invited by Hyundai Philippines to Korea mainly to see the Hyundai Truck & Bus Mega Fair where Hyundai Motors displayed a full range of commercial vehicles, presented their roadmap for future commercial vehicles including advanced intelligent safety features and eco-friendly technology and unveiled the Elec City, Hyundai's first mass-produced electric bus before its official launch in 2018.

Judging by the on-cam interview I had with Ms. Fe Agudo, the lady president of Hyundai Philippines, the motor company's commercial vehicle line is hell-bent on making a dent if not aspiring to be the leader in our local trucks and buses industry. There was special interest in bringing in buses to help alleviate the metro's traffic problems by enhancing the mass transport system with Hyundai buses that could transport commuters to their destinations not only comfortably and reliably but most important of all safely and eco-friendly to boot.

The Elec City, Hyundai Motors' first mass produced electric bus caught the eye of most of the local motoring journalists as a most ideal offering for the rapidly-developing P2P or Point-to-Point bus lines.

It appears that HARI or Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. has the serious mindset to bring in various models of buses for mass transport and a slew of trucks for heavy-duty purposes to keep in pace with the country's economic development.

This revolutionary engine developed by Ford is like that battery that keeps on going - going on winning more awards.

In a recent release it was announced that Ford's 1.0 EcoBoost engine has been voted 2017 International Engine of the Year "Best Engine Under 1.0-litre" for the sixth (6^th) year in a row -meaning the compact and powerful three-cylinder petrol engine remains undefeated in its category since its launch in 2012.

The Ford's 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is offered with 100 PS, 125 PS and 140 PS. Ford EcoBoost petrol engines in capacities up to 3.5-litres deliver power and fuel-efficiency to Ford vehicles around the world, from compact all-new Ford Fiesta to Transit vans, pick-up trucks, and Ford Performance models including the Focus RS and the Ford GT supercar.

Congratulations to Ford!

As more votes are tallied from ONLINE (autofocus.com.ph) and ONSITE (Robinson's Malls), the ranking of the public's choices for this year's "Models of the Year" awards gets more interesting. Here's an update:

Some of you may have noticed some changes or shifts in the categories of some models. These changes were implemented after due consultation and deliberation with a carefully selected group of motoring journalists composed of Vernon Sarne of Business World, Iñigo Roces of Manila Bulletin, Vince Pornelos of Auto Industriya and C! Magazine and Ulysses Ang of Philippine Star and Carguide.ph forming AFPCA (Auto Focus People's Choice Awards) Media Classification Board.

ONSITE voting resumes next weekend, July 15 to 16 at the Robinson's Mall Metro East where free drinks would be given to everyone who votes and a chance to win other giveaways on lucky draws after voting.

If you are a regular viewer of Motoring Today and Auto Focus, you don't have to miss watching them for any reason.

All full and unedited weekly editions of these electronic magazines that cater to motoring enthusiasts and car buffs are streamed on their respective websites: www.motoringtoday.ph / www.autofocus.com.ph and they include past episodes in their archives.

Happy Motoring!!!

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