Greatest Hits of the past 34 years

For auto brands, there will always be that one model that stands out among its faithful followers or even turn their fortunes around.

Whether its a new generation model or just an upgraded one, these models have kept the cash register ringing for their distributors through the years.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

Mazda MX-5

Mazda is probably the quirkiest of Japan’s carmakers, choosing to zig-zoom, rather-where others zag. One of its biggest contributions to car culture is the continuation of the sports cars. Small, lightweight, and above all fun-to-drive, the first generation MX-5 was a recreation of the classic British roadster. Add Japanese reliability, flip down the soft top with one hand, and you’re ready to go. It’s a formula that’s worked well for 30 years. The MX-5, aka Miata, is beloved by owners of all its generations, as evidenced by the huge gatherings for the anniversary events.

Ford Mustang

Ford created a new category of sporty two-doors with the 1964 Mustang. Ford managed to capture lightning in a bottle with the 2005 Mustang. Key to the fifth-generation car’s success is a return to the fastback style of the original, but updated to make it desirable for a modern audience. The GT model carried, appropriately, a V8 with 304ps.

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Ford unveiled the future of the Mustang, and perhaps the entire company, when it debuted the Mustang Mach-E. Wanting to add a sporty luster to its first high-volume all-electric vehicle, Ford transmuted the styling of the Mustang sporty coupe into a sporty electric SUV. Ford is promising performance, too: 480 km range and 0-100 kph in under four seconds.

Dodge Challenger

Another successful revival is the Challenger, channeling the looks of its classic 1970 forebear. Under the long hood resided a monster 6.1 liter V8 engine.

Nissan GT-R

Originally a sporty version of a staid four-door sedan, the Nissan Skyline earned its legendary status thanks to its GT-R variant. The Skyline GT-R’s secret weapon was Nissan’s all-wheel drive system and four-wheel steering, making it a slayer of sports cars on the track. The GT-R maintained the all-wheel drive formula with a twin-turbo V6 engine. The GT-R’s sharp edges and angular exterior were reportedly inspired by the giant Gundam mecha. Performance continued to be world-beating.

Tesla Model S

Tesla brought the electric car back into the mainstream, not with cheap, clunky vehicles, but sleek, downright desirable sedans and SUVs. The Model S leans decidedly on performance. Top speed is 250 kph, and the acceleration, at 3.8 seconds to 100 kph, is supercar quick. The Model S beat out luxury competitors in key markets like California, prompting them all to come out with electric offerings.

Tesla Cybertruck

Tesla likewise wants to revolutionize the pickup truck with its electric Cybertruck. Shattered shatterproof windows at the launch notwithstanding, the Cybertruck promises eye-popping performance: 2.9 seconds to 96 kph, 6300 kg towing capacity, and 800 km range. The Total Recall-Back to the Future styling is too much for some, but there’s no doubt that the Cybertruck will be a unique vehicle.

Nissan Leaf

You might think that Tesla brought the electric car back into the mainstream, but the Nissan leaf is a true mass-market electric vehicle, with more than 400,000 sold. Rather than go sexy, the Leaf looks friendly, with its dolphin-like hatchback design. The latest-generation Leaf carries 320 Nm and a 400 km driving range.

Porsche Macan

What if Porsche… but SUV? The Cayenne answered that question, but the better answer is the Macan. Smaller and nimbler, the Macan has the inimitable driving feel of a Porsche, all while carrying the body of a tall, compact SUV. The 911 is called the everyday sports car, but the Macan fits that bill much more comfortably.

Toyota Prius

Toyota’s new technology in 1997 was a hybrid drivetrain, combining an electric motor and battery with a gasoline engine. It has been a success, especially in Japan and the USA, with more than 10 million Toyota hybrids sold worldwide. It all began with the Prius hatchback.

Chrysler 300C

This car made its debut as a concept at the New York Auto Show. Its large grille and long hood with a distinctive low roofline created a big stir when it made its production debut in 2005. The second generation 300C continues this design language and is still a popular model for the Chrysler lineup.

Chevrolet Corvette

Once considered as America’s only true sports car, it took seven generations and 65 years for this country to enjoy its first official import. Last year, The Covenant Car Co. Inc. (TCCCI) announced the debut of the Corvette here in PH. This iconic nameplate will soon have its 8th generation international market debut, hopefully here in the country, too.

Jaguar Land Rover

(Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Discovery Sport)

Sold off by its former owner Ford to cut its losses to India’s Tata conglomerate in 2008, these two British iconic brands turn a profit in just five years and came out with very stylish and desirable models.

Honda Civic Type R and Acura NSX

The new generation Honda Civic has shown the market who has the coolest compact sedan and the Type R made it even much more cooler. The new and second generation Acura NSX supercar is a technological tour de force that reminded the world that Honda makes awesome and yet practical supercars, not just powertrains for Formula One cars.

Lexus LFA

Too bad they only made 500 of these. Developed in the early 2000s, the final production model made its debut in the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. This was parent company Toyota Motor Corp. CEO Akio Toyoda’s idea of the ultimate Lexus. Using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, developed with the help of Toyota’s F1 tech, and an engine developed in collaboration with Yamaha, it created a symphony of exhaust notes like no other car.

Mitsubishi Montero Sport

The Montero Sport is three generations old now, its second generation Montero Sport held the mantle of the best selling SUV in the local market for many years. The popular Mitsubishi Montero Sport is the brand’s mid-size SUV that was introduced in 1996. Introduced in 2016, the third generation model came with four variants and the front end largely differs from the previous two generations, sporting Mitsubishi’s “Dynamic Shield” design concept. It comes with a number of best-in-class features like 8-speed automatic transmission, 8 airbags, and several safety features that make it one of the safest mid-sized SUVs in the market.

Porsche 944 and Porsche Boxster

With over 163,000 units, the 944 was the most successful sports car in Porsche’s history until the introduction of the Boxster. The Boxster is a portmanteau of the words boxer and roadster, the later being referred to its body style while boxer refers to its flat “boxer” engine with the pistons punching like a boxer. Just like the 944, the Boxster keeps the company profitable, and was the brand’s best-selling nameplate until the introduction of the Cayenne SUV. The current 4th generation Boxster was introduced in 2016, and is marketed as the 718 Boxster, together with its hardtop sibling the 718 Cayman.

Subaru Impreza WRX

Perhaps there’s no other Japanese sedan that evokes so much racing passion as the WRX. This acronym first appeared in Subaru’s Impreza lineup, and it charged on to become the start of the brand’s high performance models. Later on, Subaru bumped up the lineup with a more powerful STI variant. Five generations later, it continues to be a favorite among car enthusiasts. The all-wheel-drive and powerful turbocharged engines made the WRX/STI cars one of the best rally cars during its WRC (World Rally Championship) years.

Suzuki Jimny

Now on its fourth generation, the Jimny comes from a line of four-wheel drive off-road mini SUVs made since 1970. To date, it has sold over 3 million units, and its latest generation model continues to be the brand’s most desirable model, and it takes several months to order one even in homeland Japan.

Toyota Alphard

Despite its price tag, this luxury MPV continues to have a long wait list here in the country. The third generation Alphard features a very premium interior and comes with a powerful 3.5L V6 engine.

Toyota Fortuner

The first generation Fortuner was part of the Toyota’s IMV program triumvirate of vehicles intended to dominate its intended market. “IMV” stands for “Innovative International Multipurpose Vehicle” and uses a ladder frame chassis construction. The other two models were the Hilux pickup and the Innova. It was for sometime the best-selling SUV in the PH market. Now on its second generation, it still comes in many variants both in rear wheel and four-wheel drive configurations.

Volvo XC90

Volvo as another premium car brand that was sold off by Ford’s premium cars division at a great financial loss. Thankfully, the Swedish car brand was adopted by its Chinese parent Geely Automotive, which saw over $11 billion of Sino money pumped new life, and the result was the current generation XC90 SUV. This is the first of Volvo’s new “Scalable Product Architecture” vehicle platform that supports all its three model lines, the 40, 60 and 90 sedan, wagon and SUV series.