Motoring Today Column

May 01, 2019

Car buyers and car enthusiasts will once again have the extraordinary chance to assess which vehicle is best to suit one's needs - or dreams - on May 2 to 5 at the Phoenix Petroleum 2019 Auto Focus Multi-Brand Summer Test Drive Festival (AFTDF) at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds.

In one venue, about 60-65 vehicles from11 car manufacturers will be at the Summer Test Drive Festival. There, a car buyer or enthusiast can have the chance to test drive the vehicles of his or her choice - and finally decide on what to buy.

Be ready to meet your dream cars at the Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Honda, Subaru, SsangYong, Kia, MG, Hyundai and GAC Motor booths.

Considered to be the country's biggest outdoor test drive event, the Summer Test Drive Festival is designed to be a one-stop shop for car buyers and car enthusiasts.

The AFTDF is organized by Sunshine Television (STV) as part of its annual trilogy of automobile industry programs. Its other programs are the Auto Focus People's Choice Awards (AFPCA) and the Auto Focus Media's Choice Awards (AFMCA).

As STV Chairman and CEO, I have seen the test drive event grow each year. The variety of people who visit the test drive festival has also expanded - from car enthusiasts to buyers to students, and also the people working in the automotive industry. Watching the crowds grow tells me that cars have truly become attraction that bridges age gaps and careers.

Having so many cars in one venue offers the car buyer a convenient way of evaluating the different brands and variants that he or she would like to buy. The staff of the car companies at the AFTDF can answer queries on the specs of the car. Then, he or she can test drive the various models.

Buying a car and selecting a particular model suited to one's individual purpose, preference, and budget, can actually be a long-winded process. This may require multiple visits to various dealerships at varying locations, test driving and comparing varying models, and working out the best financing options. But at the festival, many options will be there to test drive.

The Phoenix Petroleum 2019 Auto Focus Multi-Brand Summer Test Drive Festival will be open from 11AM to 9PM. Participants will have the chance to win prizes from select exhibitors.

If you were among the motorists who went out of Metro Manila during the Holy Week exodus, you'd like to know how much traffic increased during that period.

Luigi Bautista , president and general manager of NLEX Corporation, said heavy traffic flow in NLEX-SCTEX on the peak Holy Week traffic days on Wednesday and Thursday as the traffic volume exceeded the expected 15 percent increase, hitting 400,000 average daily traffic.

"On Maundy Thursday, we implemented a counterflow in San Fernando to address the traffic build-up caused by high volume of vehicles going to the provinces," explained Bautista, adding that "toll collection points were added in Tarlac on the same day and in Bocaue on Black Saturday and Easter Sunday to better accommodate motorists returning to Manila."

The good news about the Holy Week exodus was there was no major accident recorded at NLEX-SCTEX despite the increase in traffic volume, the NLEX Corporation reported.

In a statement, the tollway company attributed the positive assessment to the preparations made particularly the deployment of traffic patrol crews and incident response teams at strategic areas, which also resulted in faster response times to vehicle breakdowns and other minor incidents.

"From April 17-21, the "Safe Trip Mo Sagot Ko" Motorist Assistance program was able to serve over 6,000 NLEX-SCTEX motorists who needed first aid treatment, drinking water, basic mechanic and towing services. The tollway firm's data showed that 1,416 incidents were responded in both expressways with an average response time of 11 minutes. There were also 322 Class 1 motorists who were given free towing assistance," NLEX said.

Motorists must have noted the increased number of tellers at the toll booths. More than 700 tellers and patrol officers were deployed at the NLEX-SCTEX to enhance traffic management and toll collection services.

During peak periods, the Balintawak Toll Plaza opened a maximum of 24 toll collection points while Mindanao Avenue, and Tarlac toll plazas opened a maximum of 10 and 20 toll collection points, respectively. The Bocaue Toll Plaza also had a maximum of 59 collection points for Manila-bound motorists.

Happy Motoring!!!

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(Email) sunshine.television@yahoo.com

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