Friday, 24 August 2012 07:37
Toyota gets new 86 Aero and 200 more units to sell for 2012
Words and photos by Hans Gerald Chua
Light weight, rear wheel drive, and ideal power-to-weight ratio are the perfect characteristics that make a great Japanese sportscar. Toyota got it right on the money in 1982 when they created the Corolla Levin and Trueno, otherwise known as the AE86 or “Hachiroku.” Many drivers found it as the preferred weapon of choice for race tracks and especially mountain passes in Japan. Unfortunately, Toyota stopped manufacturing this rare breed of rear-wheel-drive two-door coupes in 1987. But 25 years later, Toyota went back to basics and revived the legend of the 86.
Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) officially launched the 86 back in June with a price tag of a little over P1.5 million. It was like a dream come true. All the hype made it seem as if all of the 94 million inhabitants of this country wanted one, except there's one small problem. TMP was only able to get their hands on 77 units; and by the time it made its public debut, all have been spoken for. Well, our prayers have been answered, because at the 4th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), Toyota announced that 200 additional units are headed our way and will be made available this 2012. Not only that, they've also added a new 86 Aero variant to the line-up. Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Christmas is coming early.
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Newly Launched
Friday, 24 August 2012 07:19
Toyota gets in touch with its feelings with GT-86 “The Real Deal” commercial (w/ video)
Words by Niky Tamayo | Video courtesy of Toyota UK
“Can you feel it? Can you feel the thrill of being alive?”
Brad Pitt or Britney Spears spots aside, car commercials aren’t usually big news, but this one is making waves. Toyota UK commissioned music video director Adam Berg to create a spot to spearhead their “Real Deal” marketing campaign and the result is fantastic. It’s about a man who’s tired of his artificial world of pixels, pretense, and driver assists. A world where “feeling” is a capital offense.
What follows is a combination of “The Matrix”, “Max Payne,” and “The Truman Show”, made in a gritty film noir style. The only complaint is that it's just 90 seconds - about two hours too short, but it does get the point across. Toyota doesn’t make dull, pixelated, pretentious cars, anymore. It makes Toyota GT-86s. And they’re available in red, mind you, not beige and gray. Of course, you don’t have to go to a seedy underground shop to buy one (apparently with a big bag of drug money), you can buy them at your regular Toyota dealership. Or you could if they weren’t sold out.
Oh well, the commercial’s pretty nice.
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News
Monday, 20 August 2012 10:49
Toyota to start selling upgraded Fortuner and Hilux with 2.5L VNT
Words by Rico Soriano
When Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) launched the facelifted Fortuner and Hilux exactly one year ago, we couldn't help but feel disappointed that, despite the new look, there was nothing new under the bonnet. Well, for those who wanted a little more get up and go from the 2KD-FTV 2.5L D-4D diesel engine, we're happy to announce that your prayers have been answered. In just a few months time, one of the hottest-selling SUVs and pickups in the country will finally receive an upgrade.
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Newly Launched
Thursday, 16 August 2012 08:17
Toyota Motor Philippines breaks all-time sales record in July
Well, if you think things just couldn't get any better, it does. The country's largest automobile manufacturer, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) posted record breaking total sales of 6,258 units for the month of July 2012 - its highest ever in 24 years of operations. Not only that. No other manufacturer or distributor has ever broken the 6,000 mark, until now.
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Industry Update
Monday, 16 July 2012 06:15
Toyota break sales record in June; Captures 40% market share
We should all know by now that Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is the country's number one automotive company - a title they've been holding on to for over a decade. And last June, this lead was extended even further when they recorded their highest ever sales since operations started way back in 1989.
Sales tallied 5,893 units for the month, which, when viewed on a Year-to-Date (YTD) basis, sums up to 29,400 units in the first semester of 2012. This feat has strengthened Toyota's market share to 40%. Compared to last year's total sales performance, the Japanese automaker recorded a growth rate of 18%.
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Industry Update
Thursday, 12 July 2012 07:21
Tie-up between BMW and Toyota has sports car, hybrid, and EV in sight
Words by Rico Soriano
Auto giants BMW and Toyota recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at BMW's headquarters in Munich. The agreement is aimed at sharing technology of expertise between two companies, stated to work as a long-term collaboration in four fields: joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle, collaboration on powertrain electrification, and joint research and development on lightweight technologies.
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Industry Update
Monday, 25 June 2012 06:19
Toyota Camatte Concept: Car Town comes to life... somewhat (w/ video)
Words by Jopet Tocino | Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Company
Japan - the land where some of the world's most outrageous ideas and things come from - has yet another one to add to the list. At the recent Tokyo Toy Show 2012, Toyota unveiled the Camette Concept. Named after the Japanese word for “care,” their latest “family-oriented” concept looks more like something that jumped out of Car Town than a would-be production car.
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Concept
Friday, 22 June 2012 06:29
The legend has returned; Toyota's GT-86 is finally here
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
It was way back in 1982 when Toyota's iconic AE86 was born - a car that combined responsive power, lightweight design, and perfect chassis balance to create the ultimate sports machine. Otherwise known as the Corolla Levin or the Sprinter Trueno, it became an instant hit on track and on the mountain passes, and gave the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya, a name. Though this legend lives on to this day through some examples that stood the test of time, it was unfortunately the last of Toyota's breed of rear-wheel-drive coupes. Until now...
After 30 long years, the wait is finally over. In a special launch held at the Subic International Airport last June 19, 2012, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) finally brought the legend back to life. Patterned after the same winning formula as the original AE86, meet Toyota's reincarnated legend, the new GT-86.
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Newly Launched
Tuesday, 05 June 2012 03:41
The Little Engine That Could | 2012 Toyota Avanza 1.5G AT
Words by Niky Tamayo | Photos by Ken Tamayo
The Avanza is the brainchild of corporate collaboration. Originally engineered in Indonesia as the Daihatsu Xenia, it slotted in under the Innova as a replacement for the wildly popular Kijang/Revo. It addressed the taxi market that the Innova was too expensive to service.
Being a taxi special, the original Avanza was dirt cheap. The base model interior was straight from the 80’s, complete with analogue odometer and wind-up windows. While the 1.5G was infinitely better, it cost as much as the bigger Innova. Yet the Avanza had its charms. It was light and nimble, and the unibody construction gave it a lot of interior space for its size. Now, there's a new Avanza in town, we take it out for a spin to find out if its still as good as the last one.
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Van & MPV
Saturday, 26 May 2012 06:24
Toyota’s new facelifted Previa is no longer just your soccer-mom MPV
Words by Hans Gerald Chua | Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Corporation
Three years since its last update, Toyota has finally revealed its new facelifted Estima, otherwise known as the Previa in other countries including the Philippines. And in those three years, its image has changed from an elegant MPV to a more aggressive and sportier-looking mini-van, making it a lot more attractive not just for soccer moms.
The new Estima has been given an updated front end with a lot of angular detailing on the bumper and grill that's so aggressive, it puts other sports coupes to shame. The V6 version even comes with huge air intake upfront that could swallow pedestrians whole. Its front headlights have been likewise reshaped to give it more attitude. However, the rear's sleek silhouette remains untouched, except for the addition of a rear spoiler.
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Newly Launched
