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Toyota Philippines has unveiled the Prius C in the market. And with prices starting at PhP 1.475 million, going green won’t necessarily meaning breaking the bank.

The larger, 3rd-generation Prius costs more than PhP 2 million, which has probably turned off green-minded individuals in the country to go for cheaper alternatives. As such, sub 1-million subcompacts have proliferated, and city streets are teeming with the Toyota Vios, Honda City and Hyundai Accent, along with a host of other ultra-compact cars.

But with the new Toyota Prius C boasting of a 40 Km/L mileage, it’s probably the best choice for green-enthusiasts, considering rising fuel prices and worsening metro traffic.

Powered by a 1.5 L 1NZ-FXE VVT-i engine (similar to the Vios), the Prius C is likewise powered by a Hybrid Synergy Drive electric motor, which accurately adjusts output from the gas-fed engine and electric motor, depending on driving conditions, while minimizing consumption. The car’s regenerative braking system and exhaust gas recirculation system adds to efficiency, charging the batteries while the car is running.

It’s not as cheap as other subcompacts would be. The Prius C starts at PhP 1.475 million for the Standard and PhP 1.540 for the Full variant. For this price, you could buy a pickup-based SUV like the Montero Sport or Fortuner. But if you want fuel savings, and if you want to contribute to saving the Earth, then the Prius C would be a smart choice.

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Nissan has announced that the brand is now the second most popular brand in the Americas, which includes North, Central and South America. Nissan gained a 0.6% increase in market share over its 2010 figure, advancing the automaker as the #2 Asian automotive brand in the region.

Nissan America has totaled 1.56 million units sold in 2011, while the brand sold 1.33 million in 2010. Nissan trails behind Toyota, which sold 1.85 million units in 2011. Honda, Hyundai and Kia follows, with 1.29 million, 1.03 million and 659,000, respectively.

“2011 was a breakthrough year for Nissan in the Americas in a multitude of ways,” said Colin Dodge, chairman, Nissan Americas.  ”We outperformed our key Japanese competitors in every market throughout the Americas while the Nissan brand became one of the fastest-growing Asian automotive brands in the region.”

Other highlights:

• In the U.S., Nissan gained market share for the sixth consecutive year, ending 2011 with 8.2 percent of the U.S. market, up from 6 percent just a few years ago;
• In Mexico, Nissan has been the market leader for three consecutive years and ended 2011 with a record market share of 24.8 percent, up 1.7 points from the prior year;
• In Brazil, Nissan’s business has been rapidly expanding with sales that nearly doubled in 2011.  Nissan was Brazil’s fastest-growing automotive brand in 2011 and is now the 7th best-selling car brand in the country;
• In Latin America, Nissan finished 2011 with 10 percent market share for the first time, up 0.4 points from the prior year.

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Chevy has just launched its latest model Spark, and is inviting everyone to join the virtual carpool. Simply mosy over to the Chevy Spark Virtual Carpool Club Facebook application and you get the chance to win five iPad 2s.

All you have to do is “like” the Chevy Philippines Facebook fan page and register in the Spark Carpool Club application. Upon registering, you will automatically be designated as the virtual carpool driver of the account. The objective of the game is to add as much Facebook friends to be your carpool buddy.

Of course, aside from just Liking the page, you will need to have friends join your carpool club, as well. The more friends you invite, the more entries you get to the raffle. A winning “car” with five members will be picked each week, with the members receiving movie tickets and Chevy merchandise. Meanwhile, the winners of the final draw get an iPad 2 each.

Chevy’s latest Spark comes in two new variants, particularly the 1.0 liter 4-speed automatic and 5speed manual, which have the same design as the 1.2L MT. According to tests, these new models can give you as much as 22 km/L for the manual 1.2L and 1.0L variants, and 19 km/L for the 1.0 automatic. How’s that for a fuel-efficient pocket rocket?

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Nissan Motor Philippines is currently running a low-downpayment promo for various models, which also include upgraded features for the same price, like leather seats, parking assist camera and multimedia system. Check it out.

• Nissan Sentra 200 6MT – PhP 99,999 d/p
• Nissan Sentra 200 CVT (now with leather seats) – PhP 118,000 d/p
• X-TRAIL 2.0 AT 4×2 – PhP 160,000 d/p
• X-TRAIL CVT 2.5 AT 4×2 – PhP 220,000 d/p
• X-TRAIL CVT 2.5 AT 4×4 – PhP 260,000 d/p

Low monthly offers are also available for 30% and 50% downpayment options.

Check out the press release after the jump. Continue reading …

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Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., the official Hyundai distributor in the Philippines maintains a positive sales outlook for the year, with a 6% growth in May compared with the same period last year. This growth has been mostly fueled by commercial vehicles and SUV sales.

Hyundai sustains its momentum, as it posted total sales of 1,643 units in May this year or 6% growth from the same month last year. By category, sales of light commercial vehicles rose by 16% while that of passenger cars declined slightly by 3%. By models, the boost came largely from Tucson which expanded by 52% and the new models, Sonata and Elantra, which sold 75 units and 291 units, respectively. This brings sales performance for the first five months of 2011 to 3% growth or 8,062 units.

Hyundai is focusing on channel partners for fleet purchases, and this includes banks, projects and other commercial operations. Meanwhile, the company is confident that 2011 sales outlook will further improve, due to economic growth in the country.

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The Philippine auto industry has undoubtedly been largely affected by the Japan Earthquake last March 2011. Most car part importers have become very cautious in predicting future sales and have decided to lower them and optimize production thru a myriad of ways.

One of these manufacturers is Honda Car Philippines, Inc.

“Currently, we are on an indefinite ‘yellow flag’ status—meaning we are on an alert mode—because of the fluidity of the situation. We will conduct a monthly review [to assess the situation],” Voltaire Gonzales, head of Honda Cars Philippines sales department…

He also said the company might not be able to reach the 17,600 units predicted this year.

However, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) has said it will remain with its forecast since sales will pick up come the latter part of the year. According to Elizabeth Lee, CAMPI President, they will stay the course:

“Despite the difficulties we face due to the lack of supply of some vehicles and parts, we are optimistic that we will be able to recover the lost sales given the full-year outlook.”

The Philippine auto industry will know by next financial year-end report as to who was right.

Brought to you by car hire Cyprus. Article via Manila Standard Today | Image StaraBlazkova at the Czech language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

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With Japanese import car parts having trouble lately, the local car manufacturers seems to be having a great quarter. One of them is Mazda Philippines as it posts a 13 percent growth this quarter compared to same period last year.

The company has sold 1,080 units in from January to April 2011, which when compared to last year, is a 13 percent increase. April has been the strongest month so far:

In April, Mazda sold a total of 236 as a result of the strong performance of the Mazda2 and Mazda3. The Mazda2 saw April sales of 94 units, up 18 percent versus the same month last year. Year-to-date sales of the popular sub-compact total 335 units, representing a 55 percent increase.

Congratulations to Mazda, we hope the other car manufacturers find a way to emulate them.

Article via Malaya Business Insight | Image By Thomas doerfer (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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The school year is about to open, and if you have a college kid looking to have a great ride, you might just be able to get him that dream car that will be affordable and reliable. The entry-level Nissan Sentra is selling at a low-downpayment of just PhP 39,000 up to May 31. Even the Sentra 200 CVT, which we reviewed a few months back, is selling at a low DP of PhP 68,000. The Grand Livina Elite is selling at a low DP of PhP 88,000.

Check out these prices from Nissan Quezon Avenue. Prices include comprehensive insurance, chattel mortgage, and three-years LTO registration.

Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX STD: PhP 610,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 38,000
• 24 months: PhP 25,123.87
• 36 months: PhP 18,023.74
• 48 months: PhP 14,453.95
• 60 months: PhP 12,436.68

Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX PWR: PhP 635,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 88,000
• 24 months: PhP 25,183.53
• 36 months: PhP 18,762.13
• 48 months: PhP 15,046.33
• 60 months: PhP 13,456.08

Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX AT: PhP 660,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 88,000
• 24 months: PhP 27,183.20
• 36 months: PhP 19,500.80
• 48 months: PhP 15,638.70
• 60 months: PhP 13,456.08

Nissan Sentra 200 STD: PhP 1,050,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 58,000
• 24 months: PhP 44,687.53
• 36 months: PhP 32,058.13
• 48 months: PhP 25,709.08
• 60 months: PhP 22,120.98

Nissan Sentra 200 CVT: PhP 1,150,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 68,000
• 24 months: PhP 47,364.37
• 36 months: PhP 33,978.67
• 48 months: PhP 27,249.25
• 60 months: PhP 23,446.20

Nissan Q Ave has more models with a discounted cash-out. Check them out at www.mynissan.com.ph. So why ride a cab or go for a car rental when you can get a brand new Nissan?

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It looks like you’ll be seeing the Philippine Azkals players in Kia cars these days as it has been chosen as the team’s official transport provider, thanks to its local distributor, Columbian Autocar Corporation.

“Love for football and support of the Azkals is shared by both the young and young-at-heart,” said Palermo Soriano, Jr., head of Kia’s Marketing Services. “We are proud to support truly inspiring athletes, who have the potential to be a world-class team.”

Naturally, the team is extremely pleased about this situation:

“We are thankful for the show of confidence from Kia, as well as from the rest of our countrymen, and now the players, team management and coaching staff are that much more motivated to train hard and give our best,” said Azkals team manager Dan Palami.

If you’d like to know who is getting what Kia car, it’s best to check out their official Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Article via: Top Gear PH | Image via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

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With the interest of his constituency in Quezon City, Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista is trying out e-tricycles, or better known as e-Trikes, and is thinking of replacing its current roster of gas-guzzling, smoke pollution emitting tricycles.

Here are some details on the e-Trikes:

• It costs PHP 117,000 per unit.
• It can travel 100 to 130 kms on a single charge
• It can carry up to four persons
• It takes eight hours to charge
• The charger is solar-powered, using 2,500-watt tiles

Transportation fares should be similar to how much the operators charge with four or two-stroke engines.

The e-trikes were developed by the Kasangga Party-list and Netherlands-based Technostrat Design and Research Corporation it also includes Winace Holdings Philippines as project partner.

Article via: Manila Bulletin | Image via Philippine Star

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