Honda Bags Awards in Subcompact and Executive Sedan Class

Honda achieved distinguished recognition for its subcompact and executive sedan models during the 5th Annual C! Awards held recently at One Esplanade in Pasay City.

Besting three other nominees, the 1.5 Honda Jazz was named the class winner in the subcompact sedan category. C! Magazine’s August issue remarked that, “Honda certainly took the Jazz to a whole new level especially with the 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine, the clever use of space, nifty features and sporty-inclined handling.”

In bringing sheer driving enjoyment to greater heights, the 1.5 Jazz comes with a race-inspired paddle shift that is also available in other bigger models like the Civic and the Accord. The paddle shift option enables manual shifting of gears without the clutch. The Honda Jazz also offers more than enough space to match active lifestyles. Offering versatility in seat configurations, the ULTRA seats can accommodate almost anything – be it long, tall or any utility items. Read more

Hyundai is now 4th Automaker in the World

Despite the global economic crisis that various industries faced early this year, Hyundai emerged as a strong, challenger brand, posting sales that albeit modest, continue to reinforce its presence in both domestic and overseas markets. With its upbeat sales performance, the Hyundai Automative Group has another reason to celebrate, now that it has moved up to number four in global auto sales rankings. Hyundai Automotive Group sold a total of 2.153 million units in the first six months of this year, according to the US-based Automotive News. This latest milestone for Hyundai also counts as a victory for Asian automakers, as it is one of two Asian brands to ever be included in the Global Top 5 rankings.

From rank 10 in 2000, Hyundai Automotive Group rose to sixth place in 2006, and kept its Top 5 position since 2007. Now up another notch in the global arena, Hyundai remains optimistic that its sales performance will continue to gain momentum, especially since July global sales snapped up for Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea’s number one automaker.

Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) posted a remarkable 36.6 percent rise in July global sales compared to a year earlier. Also beefing up HMC’s success is its promising growth in the domestic market, as its sales rose 15.4 percent to 60,638 units in July from 52,535 units a year earlier. Read more

Drive Every Drop with the Honda Challenge Cup

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. recently held the 2009 Honda Challenge Cup, a fuel efficiency driving competition that promotes fuel economy awareness in the face of unstable fuel prices.

Honda, in cooperation with Petron, embarked on this drive to demonstrate how a simple fuel efficient driving style can make a big difference. Having ‘Drive Every Drop’ as the over-all theme, the competition posed various challenges in both city and highway driving conditions using normal, day-to-day driving style with running air conditioning system. Natural driving environment was chosen for the competition. For city driving portion, participants traversed the traffic congested roads of Ayala Avenue, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and EDSA at around 10 AM. Meanwhile for highway driving leg, participants tackled the North Luzon Expressway on the way to Angeles, Pampanga and back to Petron Balagtas station. The team with the best kilometer per liter record generated by adding the fuel consumption within the 38.8 km stretch of city driving and within the 111.0 km distance under highway driving condition wins. Read more

Senator Proposes Perks for Hydrid Vehicles

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri proposed Tuesday a measure seeking to provide incentives to the manufacture, sale and importation of hybrid vehicles in the country.

Senate Bill No. 3397, or an Act Providing Incentives to the Manufacturer, Sale and Importation of Hybrid Vehicles, encourages public support for the development of the hybrid car industry in line with the government’s alternative fuels program.

Zubiri noted that government launched the program in an effort to reduce the country’s dependence on imported oil, and to provide cheaper and a more environment-friendly alternative to fossil fuel.

“With the continuing rise of fuel cost and the imminent decline of extractable world oil deposits, the demand for alternative transportations is expanding,” Zubiri said. Read more

Honda and Mitsubishi Rank Highest in a Tie in Philippines Customer Service Satisfaction Study

Honda and Mitsubishi rank highest in a tie in customer satisfaction with authorized dealer after-sales service, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2009 Philippines Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM released today.

The study, now in its ninth year and redesigned for 2009, measures customer satisfaction with authorized dealer after-sales service in the Philippines by examining five key factors: service quality; vehicle pickup; service initiation; service advisor; and service facility. Customer service performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale.

Among the 11 manufacturers included in the study, Honda and Mitsubishi rank highest in a tie, each receiving a score of 814. Honda performs particularly well in the vehicle pickup, service initiation, service advisor and service facility factors. Mitsubishi performs particularly well in service quality, which has the greatest impact on overall customer service satisfaction. Nissan ranks third with a score of 810, followed by Kia, Mazda and Toyota, respectively. The six vehicle makes round out the manufacturers performing above the industry average. Read more

Honda Unleases Mighty 1.3s

Meet the new breed of 1.3s. Listen to them roar. Watch them slice through the air. Marvel at their gadgetry and advanced technology. The entry-level car market is changing. And change is riding on Honda’s Jazz and City.

The Jazz and the City elevate the 1.3 class to a new level. Regarded for so long as practical cars with basic features, 1.3s do not warrant the envious second-looks accorded to bigger cars. They are small and terrible to drive. But not the Jazz and the City. They prove that style and power can come in small packages. They are equipped with features that were once reserved for higher displacement models. And their styling can also make you stop on your tracks.

Packed with power and safety features, the Jazz and the City are more than just means of getting from A to B. Their new and responsive i-VTEC engines can deliver a respectable 100ps @ 6000 rpm and yet remain highly fuel-efficient. The Jazz’s aerodynamic shape and the City’s new arrowshot body design also contribute to their respective speed and fuel-efficiency. This just goes to show that you can be practical without necessarily sacrificing style and driving performance. Read more

Local Auto Sales up 6.3% to 11,597 Units in July 2009

The automotive industry is expected to perform better during the second half of the year as automobile sales for the month of July was the highest so far for this year.

In a joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), July sales stood at 11,597 units, 6.3 percent higher than the June figure.

“Things are starting to look a bit brighter for the remainder of the year with the relatively good sales performance in the month of July with a 6.3-percent growth versus June,” CAMPI president Elizabeth H. Lee said.

“July sales should be a positive signal for the performance in the second half of the year with more robust sales seen in the coming months assuming market conditions improve,” Lee said. Read more

Honda Safety Driving Center Now Offers Specialty Courses

Honda Safety Driving Center (HSDC) has recently announced the opening of special short courses to enhance the driving skills of automobile drivers and motorcycle riders. Each lasting 100 minutes (1:40 hrs), the courses will focus on specific skills and techniques in various driving/riding situations. Each course starts with a 15-minute safety orientation which includes proper riding/driving posture, 360-degree scanning, spotting for hazards and dangers, and blind spot areas. This is followed by a 75-minute practice session, and closes with a 10-minute discussion time to address concerns and answer questions from the trainee.

Offered for both motorcycles and automobiles, the Wet & Emergency Braking course is an advanced program that gives even experienced riders/drivers the opportunity to practice emergency braking on a simulated wet road surface. In this program, the trainee learns how to avoid wheel-lock, particularly on vehicles with no ABS, through modulation of the brake pedal pressure. The trainee also learns how to deal with a skidding car or motorcycle. Vehicle control on uphill and downhill slopes is also part of the program. The Wet & Emergency Braking course is very affordably priced at P180 for motorcycles and P950 for automobiles.

Specific for motorcycle riders, HSDC is also offering the Dirt (Off-Road) course, which allows riders to practice riding and handling motorcycles on a loose dirt track. Experienced riders know that loose traction often results in a crash. With repeated exercises, the trainee gains the confidence to control his ride on dirt roads. The Dirt (Off-Road) program is offered for P180. Read more

Honda Awards Jazz to Yahoo! Purple Hunt Winner

Honda Cars Phils., Inc. (HCPI) recently awarded a brand new Jazz with vibrant and exclusive purple artwork to Mr. Calvin Galgana, the grand prize winner of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt game.

Yahoo! Purple Hunt was a treasure hunt activity that entailed solving online clues and tracking down treasures located around Metro Manila.

The hunt ultimately led to a brand new Jazz that sports dynamic styling, spirited performance, versatile ULTRA seat configurations for all sorts of utility items and most importantly, remarkable fuel economy. Read more

Local Car Sales Dip During First Seven Months of 2009

Car sales dipped during the seven-month period dragged down by commercial vehicles, preliminary data indicated.

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) will release official report on Monday.

Based on the data, the industry sold 2.43 percent less at 71,506 units from 73,290 units the same period last year.

Buyers got 3.78 percent less of commercial vehicles at 46,254 units than 48,072 units the same period last year. Sales of passenger cars were flat at 25,252 units from 25,218 units. Read more

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