Win some, lose some

Toyota Supra

All around the world, countries are reporting more and more cases of people contracting the much-dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). US stock markets on Monday opened to double-percentage losses, suffering from the one-two punch of the looming COVID-19 epidemic, and the oil markets crash resulting from the Saudi-Russian oil production dispute and price war. The entire nation of Italy, home of the world’s fastest supercars, has been ground to a halt, a lock down announced as of the latest update.

News of outbreaks has caused disruptions of public events, schools, and tours. More than 24 exhibitions and conferences worldwide have been postponed or cancelled, pummeling the $2.5 trillion global trade show industry, as reported by CNBC Feb. 21. The Philippines’ own premier car show, the annual Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), originally slated for April 2 to 5, has been postponed indefinitely. MIAS organizers announced on Monday the 4-day event will be held “at a later date when the public’s safety can be assured” (see related story in B2-4).

Like MIAS, the March 2 inauguration of the Nissan-Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Inc. auto parts warehouse in Santa Rosa, Laguna has also been postponed. A highly placed source said the postponement was due to “safety and security reasons as VIPs from (the) global (headquarters) requested the postponement due to the COVID-19 issue.”

Despite these setbacks, the local motoring scene, as a whole, seems to be taking everything in stride and keeping things look “business as usual.”

Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corp. (MMPC) may have postponed the media component of its Xpander Cross launch on March 13 in Glorietta 2 in Makati City, but the public mall display from March 13 to 15 will still push through.

Subaru Forester GT

The Xpander Cross is positioned to be the top variant of MMPC’s top-selling nameplate. The 7-seater SUV is engineered to traverse more challenging terrain without compromising ride comfort. It is also designed with a wide windshield and high seating position that provides good visibility for the driver, and is also equipped with cruise control features to lessen fatigue during long drives.

Nissan Philippines will push through with its SuperZonic Nissan 370z drive on March 11 and 12 in Clark, Pampanga, in time for the arrival of the iconic Nissan 370z in the country.

The 370Z has been hailed as the GT-R’s sports car sibling, coming in with a Premium and Nismo variant.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) will hold its first-ever exclusive Supra Track Day on March 14 with select members of the media. The by-invitation-only event will be held at the Clark International Speedway. Other performance cars and Waku Doki models such as the 86 and the Vios One-Make race car will also be available for test drive. The All-New Toyota GR Supra, otherwise known as the A90 or Mk. V, is the first-ever Toyota Supra to be retailed in the Philippines.

Ford Philippines is also scheduled to hold a by-invitation-only media launch of the new Ford Everest Sport on March 18 in its Ford Manila Bay dealership in Parañaque City.

On the same day, the Autohub Group of Companies will hold a Chery dealership launch in General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite. The 405-sqm showroom (shared with the Foton brand) is among the first of 12 Chery dealerships planned in the Philippines.

Today at 6 p.m., the Subaru Forester GT edition is scheduled to be launched to the media at the Subaru showroom along C5 in Pasig. This special edition Forester is the second GT Edition introduced by Motor Image—the first being the XV GT Edition.

Suzuki Philippines is set to introduce the All-New XL7 and the S-Presso in an exclusive media launch. The unveiling will be on March 18 at the Manila Marriott Hotel. The XL7 is a 7-seater SUV, while the S-Presso takes after Suzuki’s classic SUV trademark look. Suzuki Philippines also offers discounts for buyers who reserve their XL7 and S-Presso from March 1 to 18.

Meanwhile, Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) will fly select media members to Cebu for its D-MAX Boondock media drive on March 13 and 14. The D-Max Boondock 4×4 features similar upgrades in both the manual and automatic versions, along with cooler body graphics.

Author’s note: As of press time (Tuesday afternoon, March 10), all the listed events have been verified as a “go.” Stay updated with the latest developments by following Inquirer Motoring’s online entities: www.motioncars.net and Inquirer Mobility.