Motoring BusinessMirror
E4 Friday, February 15, 2019
Alfred V. Ty: 2018 was a major milestone for Toyota
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HEY recently closed two southbound lanes of Edsa, and you don’t need to be a Nobel Prize winner to know what happened next. Of course, a gridlock of gargantuan proportions! Just one stalled vehicle on Edsa could already cause a massive traffic jam. What more with two lanes being closed simultaneously—on a weekday yet? The two innermost lanes were closed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for repair. No problem there. Any dilapidated road needing instant repair must be done without delay. You call that public service at its best. But it turned out there was no proper coordination—as usual?— between the DPWH and Metro
Manila Development Authority (MMDA) before the re-blocking was implemented. Traffic enforcers, most of them anyway, were merely there watching the “carmageddon” unfold at Edsa, even shooing away motorists trying to enter the forbus-only yellow lanes in an utter display of inflexibility by men in authority at a most crucial time. When interviewed by Ted Failon in his blockbuster Failon Ngayon radio program on dzMM on Monday, Bong Nebrija, the MMDA traffic chief, initially said
ALFRED V. TY
he was informed that only one lane would be repaired. He did not even bother to say sorry, to apologize, for the goddamn gaffe. One lane, two lanes, it doesn’t matter. As sure as the sun sets in the west, closing one lane, two lanes, would automatically create monstrous vehicle jams at Edsa.
Colossal blunder
WHY the public was not properly notified about the road repair was a colossal blunder that again subjected both the riding public and motorists to untold suffering at Edsa, which naturally became another large parking lot for hours on end.
How many employees and workers that day had been unjustifiably punished due to the sheer lack of conscience of those in power? How many motorists/businessmen had been thrown in disarray that day, missing their appointments in Makati, if not possibly huge business deals that could have bagged for them, on the side, a one-week cruise to the Caribbean? How much vehicle fuel went up in smoke again due to that traffic crawl, thereby adding more to the daily loss of P3.4 billion caused by jams in the Metro as shown by data gathered by the Jica (Japan Information and Communication Agency)? It is not car manufacturing that causes much of vehicle entanglements at Edsa and elsewhere, but rather, the lack of imagination of our traffic managers to put order on the road— not to mention corruption being a major traffic trigger, too. Why are loading/unloading zones being dishonored wantonly by our public-utility drivers? I was not born yesterday, to begin with.
New Toyota, Alfred’s speech
TINI AREVALO has this invite for a new Toyota model—again. Read on:
“Days after February 8, the unveiling of our BRAVE new model, we will once again RESHAPE POSSIBILITIES with another vehicle that will further highlight the joys of driving a Toyota. This new vehicle will reinvigorate Toyota’s product lineup anew.” (Words in all caps by Tini.) This new vehicle comes on the heels of the new RAV4 launched only last week. Wow! Who said the motoring industry is still reeling from the effects of that left hook, a.k.a. the TRAIN law, unleashed in 2018? Not Toyota, the King of the Hill for the last 17 years. Anyway, here is the speech of Alfred V. Ty, the soon-to-be chairman of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), during the recent Toyota Thanksgiving party at the Hyatt in Global City Taguig: “On behalf of the Board of Directors of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), I would like to welcome you and to thank you, our closest allies from the media, for the unwavering support to Toyota and to the development of the auto industry for three decades now. “Also, on a personal note, may I take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude for the sincere gestures of sympathy on the passing of my father, our TMP chairman, Dr. George Ty. “2018 was a difficult year, not
just for the local industry, but it is the same for almost all the major economies in the world. Toyota itself experienced tougher challenges brought about by unexpected events from both domestic and international front that caused a slowdown on the economy from the middle of the year and only showing signs of activity starting from the fourth quarter of last year. “Nevertheless, 2018 was a major milestone for Toyota, celebrating 30 years, which really means looking after 1,583,852 owners, and making sure we put a smile on their faces. Your collaborative efforts in spreading the Toyota story to the Philippine market have contributed greatly to our success. “So I would like to offer a toast, to all of you tonight. Here’s wishing all of you good health, continuous success and prosperity in 2019. Cheers! Mabuhay!” Short but sweet—the way it should be.
PEE STOP Congratulations to Sun-
ny Medalla, who is now MINI head in Japan. A protégé at Toyota by the legendary Vince Socco, Sunny had worked for so long in Singapore before moving on to Tokyo. Cheers!... Here’s to continue praying for the speedy recovery of our dear friend, Ray Butch “Elvis” Gamboa. God is with you, durable Elvis.
BLACK RHINO PH TEAMS UP WITH OVERLAND
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HE recently concluded Overland Xpo staged from February 2 to 4, 2019, with over 100 4x4 vehicles was an overwhelming success. Organized by Overland PH, in coordination with Black Rhino PH, it was held at the heart of Zambales. The Black Rhino convoy drove 200 kilometers from Manila, where vehicles and drivers experienced driving along the scenic west coast of the country before reaching the campsite. The event was held within the vicinity of Mount Pinatubo so adventure seekers and adrenaline junkies trekked
5 kilometers to the crater. The term “Overlanding” originated from Australians when they move their livestock over long distances. Today, Overlanding means a self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations, where the journey is part of the experience. “There won’t be any electricity, water or a gas station nearby, so we want to make sure we are prepared. Fortunately, there are so many products now available locally for Overlanding such as roof-mounted tents, collapsible tables and chairs, and even portable toilets,” shared Joel Pedro
of Adventure Kings Philippines. The organizers shared that stock 4x4 vehicles will be able to make it up to the campsite, but most of the participants will be using 4x4 rigs equipped with mud tires, lifted suspension and auxiliary driving lights. These upgrades ensure the safety of the passengers and vehicles. “We have proper wheels and tires for special drives such as this. You won’t be going to a basketball game with leather dress shoes, right?” said Justin Uy, marketing head of Black Rhino Wheels Philippines.
HOW CARMAKERS PICK COLORS
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VERY year, General Motors’s color and trim designers from each region converge at the GM’s Design Center in North America to decide what colors to offer on future vehicles based on customer preferences, supplier insights and other industry trends. By doing so, GM is able to offer Chevrolet vehicles in a wide range of hues that balances the need for customer appeal across many markets and product differentiation within specific markets and segments. For example, most Asian customers choose white, black, silver or grey, because neutral tones are widely accepted and may help ensure high resale value. On the other hand, some customers want a more lively hue to express their personality. To that end, GM designers have made it possible for customers to choose Chevrolet Spark in fashion-forward colors such as Merry Berry Me Metallic or Caribbean Blue Metallic— options not offered on other models. “To offer the right colors and shades, we consider a number of factors, such as increasing or decreasing demand, use in other durable goods such as consumer electronics, fashion, home furnishing trends and what actually looks good on each vehicle type,” said Hongki Kim, Color & Trim chief designer at GM Korea. “For example, bright red may be perfect for a sports car like Camaro or Corvette, but a darker shade of red looks better on a Malibu.” Another factor in color selection for Asia-Pacific markets in recent years has been the growing influence of the China market, where red represents happiness and positivity, white is associated with new beginnings and smart technology, and black connotes power and prestige. Recent data shows red, white and black gaining popularity in Asia, while interest in silver and grey is waning. Not only can colors have specific connotations, they also can be considered lucky. According to some sourc-
es, zodiac colors such as vivid red, azure blue, white and gold are considered lucky for Chinese New Year 2019, the Year of the Pig. Chevrolet offers vehicles in many of these shades, depending on model and market. GM works closely with exterior paint suppliers to formulate the right shades, and many of them issue trend reports with findings that reflect the design decisions made by GM and other automakers. Axalta, an automotive paint supplier, recently named golden-bronze “Sahara” its Automotive Color of the Year, because the tone “radiates warmth, richness and strength.” Chevrolet introduced a similar shade called Coppertino as its hero color for Chevrolet Trax in Indonesia last year. In the Philippines, the Trax now comes in the color Burning Hot Metallic. “Reddish brown, copper and rose-gold shades are growing more popular with cus-
tomers,” Kim said. “Color trend has been moving toward those shades intentionally with subliminal effect, so customers can easily get familiar with colors in daily life.” Based on GM research, one of the interesting theories found about the rising popularity of those colors is people’s growing interest in space exploration, specifically planet Mars and development, and assembly of International Space Station, which is expected to launch in 2019 and operate until 2030. “It reflects people’s positive association with future possibilities,” Kim said. Regardless of the color a customer chooses, with proper care, they can expect their Chevrolet car’s paint finish to last without dulling or fading for at least 10 years thanks to GM’s built-in quality paint-application processes used at its manufacturing plants around the world.