Columns On the Road

Detonating Honda City airbag kills pregnant woman

THERE’S good news and bad news in this update on shrapnel-shooting airbags, which this column in Nov. 12, 2014, headlined with the question: “Is there one in your car?”…

A consumer’s top picks of 2014

Forget the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis. Here are three motor vehicles, launched this year, that I picked for their practicality and/or fun-to-drive element, not for the elitist glamor that comes with owning an astronomically priced luxury super…

2014 signals major changes in auto industry

From January to November 2014, the Philippine automotive industry sold 213,427 units, reflecting a 30-percent surge over the same period in 2013. …

The 208 GTi: Peugeot reinterprets a hot hatch legend

THIS IS what legends are made of: a car that single-handedly changed the image of its manufacturer from run-of-the-mill to exciting. For French carmaker Peugeot, the legend was the 205 GTi, a three-door subcompact that it…

Lamborghini’s newest bull arrives in Manila

During a trip to Italy many years ago, my jaw dropped when I saw two policemen emerging from a white Lamborghini Gallardo marked “Polizia” at a gasoline station. So Italian cops carom around in a $250,000 luxury…

With a global program, Elena Ford pushes Ford to go even further

One week ago, Ford Philippines perked up when Elena A. Ford, granddaughter of longtime Ford Motor Co. president Henry Ford II and great, great granddaughter of founder Henry Ford, jetted into Manila to grace two Ford dealership…

BYD’s sporty imp: the F Zero hatchback

BYD (Build Your Dreams) Co. Ltd. is reportedly building dreams of its own: to become China’s largest automaker by volume in 2015, up from its current fourth place, and the world’s biggest by 2025. Since 2015 is…

Shrapnel-shooting airbags: Is there one in your car?

The automotive world is in turmoil over the massive airbag recall affecting more than 14 million vehicles worldwide from 11 automakers, with 11.6 million of these vehicles in the United States. The problem involves a faulty propellant…

China envisions transformation of its auto industry

“When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold,” is the adage affirming the impact of the United States on the global economy. Now, the impact of China’s economy worldwide is growing so fast that…

Isuzu mu-X: Family-friendly, robust off-roader

When Isuzu Philippines launched the mu-X last September, the emphasis was on the family-friendly features by presenting the Kramer family as its brand ambassador. Doug Kramer drove a shiny new unit onstage with his attractive wife and…

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