Chevrolet Lumina comes to the Philippines

[BlueBimmer]

teana? sadly yulon keeps on pushing the old A33 down our throats

[cyberdoc95]

Huge CAR!!

[empy]

guys, do yourself a favor. keep the 1.29m in your bank accounts and stay the heck away from any luminas....actually, any chevy car except for the corvette for that matter

[mazdamazda]

from the philstar:

Light Up My Life
By Lester Dizon
The Philippine STAR 02/23/2005

If you are old enough to remember the sentimental favorite "You Light Up My Life", then you will remember that despite the groovy and ***y era of the late seventies, the hit song’s singer, Debbie Boone went before the cameras and the public conservatively dressed and acting prim and proper. Never mind that her dad, the great ‘50s crooner Pat Boone later went wild in the late ‘80s with punk-up hair, wayfarer shades, black sleeveless shirt and tattoos on his thin, grandpa biceps to promote an album with a punk-rock group, Debbie captured the hearts of romantics all over the world and her single sold millions of copies which made her a pop star like her old man. But alas, she was a one-hit-wonder, and she quietly slipped into oblivion, to resurface later on as a Christian music singer in the ‘90s.

This piece of music showbiz trivia came to mind when I first took a good long look at the new Chevrolet Lumina after it was launched last February 18 (Friday) at the Fort Strip in Taguig. Because like singer Debbie Boone, the Lumina came in at a time when the upper-medium or premium sedan buyers are looking for cars that will make them sing "Light My Fire" by The Doors instead of Ms. Boone’s "You Light Up My Life". After all, at a price range of P1-M to P1.5-M, buyers are demanding more performance, more features, more comfort and more pizzazz from the cars in this category, and the new Chevy faces stiff competition from the likes of the Honda Accord, Nissan Cefiro and Toyota Camry. Can GM Philippines pull off a top hit with its new sedan amid the glitz and glamour of the established favorites?

The Lumina nameplate has been with Chevrolet since the ‘80s and the car has been a perennial favorite among the domestic market and rental car companies across the United States. The Lumina coupé is also a staple at the North American Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) and its racing heritage is perhaps one of the reasons for its popularity especially in areas where the adage "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" bodes well with the American public. The new model, therefore, is a continuation of one of the most hardworking models in the Chevy stable and GM Philippines is hoping that its State-side success will be replicated here.

The new Chevrolet Lumina is powered by a Euro II-compliant 2.5-liter V6 engine equipped with Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection (SFI) and delivers 152 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 209N-m of torque at 4,400 rpm. Mated to a 4-speed electronically-controlled 4T65-E GM automatic transmission, the factory claims that the Lumina can accelerate from zero to a hundred in 12.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 173kph. Four-wheel independent suspension smoothens out the road undulations while disc brakes at all four corners ensure effective stopping power, which are especially useful if speeds near the claimed terminal velocity are to be reached in a car of this size and weight.

At a time when its competitors are wearing 16- or even 17-inch wheels and tires, the Lumina comes to the dance wearing 15-inch aluminum alloy wheels shod in 215/70R-15 radials. With those tall side walls and conservatively sized tire contact patch, it will be a safe bet that while the Lumina won’t be a corner carver, at least it will have a very comfortable and compliant ride.

The mechanical parts are enveloped in a conservatively-styled, nose-heavy, short tail body that is tastefully dabbed with enough chrome parts to showcase some affluence but not too much to make it either retro or gaudy. Available initially in white, black or silver colors only, GM Philippines is obviously targeting the traditional affluent buyers (the old rich families) who disdain flashy automobiles and prefer the anonymity of traveling in non-descript but utterly comfortable vehicles.

Since the Lumina’s target market is a bit more senior, dare I say geriatric, than those targeted by the Accord, Cefiro or Camry, Chevrolet saw it fit to equip the sedan with large doors in the rear, roomy interior spaces, deluxe leather seats, and a "no-noise, no-bounce" suspension and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) ride settings to enhance comfort. A six-speaker Concert Sound II AM/FM/CD audio entertainment system fills the cabin with music (Pat Boone?) or with the latest stock market reports while reading lights assure proper illumination for the master as he leafs through the newspaper or his favorite book when his trip is slowed by traffic.

If the owner is the type that prefers to drive rather than be chauffeured around town, the Lumina offers an 8-way power adjustable driver’s seat, tilt adjustable leather-wrapped 4-spoke steering wheel and an ergonomic instrument panel and dashboard. Passenger safety is enhanced by an integrated steel body structure with impact protection, steel safety beams on each door, 4-wheel ABS, dual airbags, center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL), tire pressure monitor and smart headlamp system while security is assured with GM’s PassKey III theft-deterrent system, central locking system and engine immobilizer.

At its introductory price of P1.265M, the Chevrolet Lumina 2.5GL undercuts its 3.0-liter V6-powered Japanese competitors by a couple of hundred thousand pesos yet offers almost the same expected convenience and comfort features, perhaps even more so with its bigger size and softer settings. Will the prospective buyers look beyond the conservative exterior of the Chevrolet Lumina to discover the luxury car within? Will the premium sedan buyers sway from the established brands to be "enlightened" by the new Lumina? Will traditional American car enthusiasts in the country come forward to adopt the Lumina as the new "light of their life"? Will Debbie Boone wax another hit? After all, hope springs eternal! (And hopefully, yours truly can get his hands on a Chevrolet Lumina pretty soon for a thorough test drive report…)

[123412341234]

Yuck.

When i went to china, lahat sila naka ganito! haha.

[carlocaraddict]

when I went to GM AutoWorld Makati last monday, kala ko yung ala Holden Commodore yung body. Pagkapasok na pagkapasok ko dun sabay "Nyeh!". So disappointed.

[BlueBimmer]

utang na loob wag kau bibili ng lumina, camry nlang kng gs2 nyo DOM look haha

[empy]

ang labo naman nung article sa philstar...pilit na pilit yung debbie boone intro

[carlocaraddict]

was able to drive this car kanina. Handling and steering response is great! I wasnt expecting it.

[glntVR]

Sobrang comfy ng ride nito. Ok siya pang lolo. Pero hindi pa din ako bibili nito kahit kaya ko! )