CAMPI showcases auto industry’s best at the PIMS 2016

CAPTAINS of the 17-member strong CAMPI welcome members of the media during the press conference for the upcoming 6th Philippine International Motor Show slated for Sept. 14 to 16 at the World Trade Center. Ardie O. Lopez

IF THERE’S one industry that keeps on besting its own performance year after year without fail, regardless of economic climate, that would be the automotive industry.

Healthy automobile sales mean more and more cars find their way to our roads on a daily basis.

Its main drawback may be more than obvious, with our streets and main thoroughfares constantly mired in heavy traffic congestion, but no one can deny it’s a clear sign of progress not only for the auto industry itself, but also for the numerous other related industries that are dependent on it, like parts manufacturing and servicing.

It has improved the quality of people’s lives, as it’s one of the most stable pillars of the country’s economy.

As the largest and internationally recognized automotive association in the Philippines, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) comprises of nearly all the local car companies—17 of them to be exact.

These are BAIC, BMW, Daewoo, Foton, Honda, Isuzu, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Suzuki, SsangYong, Toyota and Volkswagen.

CAMPI was established in 1995, and since then, has collectively ushered into the country well over P130 billion in investments, and remitted over P30 billion in annual taxes and duties.

These have encouraged the banking and financial sector to open its doors wider, and as a result, more Filipinos at the lower income bracket are able to acquire brand new cars.
It’s not all about vehicle sales however, as CAMPI has closely partnered with the government and other stakeholders to initiate and continuously push significant advocacies as a way of giving back to society.

Working with the government, CAMPI has successfully updated and revised the curriculum of its skills training programs in the areas of automotive technology, parts and procedures, and more, to uplift the capabilities of our local workforce, to be at par with global industry standards.

Working with the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ), free road safety seminars were conducted in more than 20 schools nationwide, for the purpose of molding the youth to be safer drivers and road users.
CAMPI also continues to uphold the seat belt law and clean air act.

The auto industry has never been as busy, and every other year, CAMPI provides the public with a vivid showcase of the latest technologies and updates of each of their members’ exceptional automobile lineups, latest releases and even a glimpse of what they’ll be rolling out in the near future.

This year, CAMPI welcomes everyone to the 6th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), which will take place at the World Trade Center on Sept. 14 to 18.

Among the many much-anticipated new car releases to be displayed are the all-new Mazda CX-3, Nissan’s 2017 GT-R, Toyota’s all new Prius, Volkswagen’s all-new CC, Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV and even McLaren Honda’s MP4-30 Formula 1 car.

But beyond the breathtaking new car body designs, cutting edge engineering tech and stellar performance specs, the 2016 PIMS is really a barometer for all of us to see and appreciate how far we’ve made it in the automotive world; and how up-to-date the Philippine market is in that regard.

It’s an understatement to say that we’ve pretty much transcended having a car to take us from point A to B in relative safety and comfort.
CAMPI aims to bring us to as far as its seemingly unstoppable success will take it.