World’s worst traffic, new Civic, BMW CEO’s and VW’s fall: September’s social media traffic generators

DO YOU remember September? Sounds like a familiar ’70s tune from Earth, Wind and Fire. The auto industry did not find last month amusing as one of the biggest scandals ever to hit the industry’s history sent ripples to the global automotive economy, the effects of which will be felt in the years to come.

Aside from the VW fiasco, here are some of other traffic generators on Inquirer Motioncar’s website.

Not sorry, says Abaya son

WOMAN died while two other passengers in this van were wounded after it was strafed on Tuesday night. Lyn Rillon/INQUIRER

The first day of September did not go well for a bank executive after a fatal shooting  that also left two of her companions critically wounded.

According to Chief Insp. Rodel Marcelo, chief of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU), a former general’s son showed remorse in the killing of a woman and the wounding of two other persons during a shooting incident in Quezon City last Sept. 1.

Marcelo was referring to Jose Maria Abaya, who reportedly killed assistant bank manager Joyce Santos when he shot at a passenger van along Katipunan Avenue at about 7 p.m. of that day.

Abaya, son of former Philippine Constabulary general Antonio Abaya, is facing charges of murder, two counts of frustrated murder, and two counts of attempted murder.

Abaya is currently detained at the CIDU at Camp Karingal.

READ: General’s son doesn’t own gun he used in shooting victims

Top cop caught in Edsa jam

Good luck: PNP Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez talks to a member of the police Highway Patrol Group in this file photo September 7, 2015, before sending her off to traffic duty on Edsa. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net

PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez was literally caught in a traffic jam along Edsa last Sept. 8, experiencing firsthand the horrendous situation on Metro Manila roads.

Marquez was inspecting the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) officers tasked to managed traffic on Edsa when his convoy was stalled by the large volume of vehicles moving southbound from Quezon Avenue to Cubao.

It took Marquez about 45 minutes to traverse the 5-kilometer stretch from Quezon Avenue to the Cubao underpass, a distance estimated to take only about 10 minutes. It was the second day the HPG was tasked to take over traffic duty from the enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or the MMDA.

Kudos, though, to the general and the HPG since traffic along Edsa improved in later weeks.

READ: PNP chief gets caught in traffic on EDSA

Honda Civic gets a turbo

Honda unveils its 10th generation Civic, now with a turbocharged engine.

One of social media’s trending stories was Honda unveiling of its 10th-generation 2016 Civic Sedan, slated for sale in the US market this fall.

The all-new Civic comes with a more athletic stance and sportier driving position, and is a new-from-the-ground-up design intended to recapture the sporty character of Civic while creating the world’s best compact car—setting a new benchmark in the mainstream compact class for fun-to-drive performance, safety performance and fuel efficiency, together with a new level of refinement.

The Civic Sedan is the first in a series of new 10th-generation Civic models that will include a sedan, coupe, high-performance Si models, a five-door hatchback, and the first-ever Civic Type-R model for the US market, comprising the most diverse and innovative lineup in Civic’s 43-year history.

What’s interesting about this new model is the first-ever application of Honda turbo engine technology in the United States. These powerful and fuel-efficient new engines combine with a sophisticated new body and chassis design to deliver incredibly responsive and sporty performance with a higher level of ride refinement and class-leading fuel efficiency.

READ: Honda launches all-new Civic sedan

Not for the faint of heart

BMW CEO Harald Krueger faints during the BMW presentation on the first press day of the Frankfurt Auto Show in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. (Uli Deck/dpa via AP)

BMW CEO Harald Krueger was addressing the media during a news conference at the Frankfurt Auto Show when he suddenly collapsed on stage while presenting BMW’s new models.

He was immediately helped off stage by the staff. BMW spokesn Maximilian Schoeberl said that 49-year-old Krueger had not been feeling well ahead of the presentation but decided to go ahead with it. Schoeberl said Krueger, who took over as BMW’s CEO earlier this year, was being seen by a doctor and recovering well.

READ: BMW CEO collapses during presentation, recovering

From worst airport to worst traffic

The month ended with the Philippines setting another world record. Traffic app Waze reported that Metro Manila has the worst city traffic in the world, as reported in the first “Global Driver Satisfaction Index” (GDSI) dated Sept. 29.

The results of the study was based on data obtained from the driving experience of its 50 million users in 32 countries and 167 metro areas.

Aside from Metro Manila, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Jakarta were not far behind. The study also showed that average commute in Manila lasts up to 45.5 minutes, the longest compared to 18 other metro cities in the world such as London, Jakarta and New York City.

In contrast, the Philippines ranked as one of the best in the GDSI’s safety and driver services indices.

READ: Metro Manila has the worst city traffic on earth–Waze

$16 billion write-off for Volkswagen after cheating scandal

The VW Logo is photographed at a car at the Car Show in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. Volkswagen has admitted that it intentionally installed software programmed to switch engines to a cleaner mode during official emissions testing. The software then switches off again, enabling cars to drive more powerfully on the road while emitting as much as 40 times the legal pollution limit. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

September’s (and perhaps this year’s) biggest traffic generator is the pollution cheating scandal that left auto giant Volkswagen sending ripples and touching the main nerve centers of the German economy.

Germany is home to the world’s biggest and best-known names, like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Aside from this, it also has some of the world’s leading parts suppliers, such as Bosch, Continental and ZF Friedrichshafen.

Some 15 billion euros ($16.9 billion) was wiped off the market value of Volkswagen AG following revelations that VW rigged US emissions tests for about 500,000 diesel cars.

With a combined annual sales of 385 billion euros ($430 billion) last year, or 14 percent of Germany’s gross domestic product, some industry observers, such as analysts at CMC Markets, are expressing concern about the “spill-over effects” the Volkswagen scandal will have on the wider German economy in the weeks and months ahead.

Germany is Europe’s top economy is the fourth biggest producer of cars in the world after China, the United States and Japan. And it is the leader in Europe.

Several years ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that one in every seven jobs in Germany were “directly or indirectly” linked to the sector.

An official press statement by Volkswagen Philippines read: “Volkswagen Philippines has just received official information from Volkswagen AG that all vehicles distributed and sold by Volkswagen Philippines are not affected by the particular software used in diesel engines.”

READ: Volkswagen scandal touches nerve center of German economy