Cool Cars of the Philippines

     Continuing on the cutesy yet short of strange designs originating from Japan bore a fad, the boxy, spacious yet aerodynamically inefficient works supplying us with a string of hatchbacks imitating its design, such as the previously discussed Toyota bB, the Honda Element, the first gen Mazda Demio, and even a couple coming from its neighboring countries, such as the Korean Kia Soul and the Chinese Great Wall Haval M2. One of the most popular models carrying this design trend was the Gen 2 Nissan Cube.      The Nissan Cube first started out in 1998 with a more Wagon R-esque design, simple yet easy on the eyes. 2002 was the year it featured more of a heavily blocky look. Its cubic structure, combined with more angular and curved surfaces gave it its "chocolate box" and "cut and paste sticker" look, in order to attain its target market directed towards the youth, using its unique looks that can easily get anyone to fawn over it.      Built u...

     It's no brainer that much of the strange and unconventional design choices pertaining to cars have originated from the land of the rising sun. From their Shakotan-styled auto shows, featuring heavily-modified and illogically-designed tuners, to their factory-made Toyota-configured WiLL cars, comprising of looks made to entice the youth of Japan. In the sea of eccentric-looking vehicles, came the second gen Toyota bB.      The Gen 2 bB, given the code QNC20, was unveiled in Tokyo back in 2005. Despite Japan being its main and a part of its small market size, it was rebadged under numerous different names, such as the Daihatsu Materia and the Subaru Dex, to name a few. Its design was cited to have been made similar to a music player, such as the Sony Discman, once again to entice the younger generation of Japan. The redundantly-named car continued its production until the end of its model's lifetime, in 2016, far outliving the lifetime and the popularity...

     For Porsche's first performance SUV, an automaker known for their zippy sports cars, the Cayenne GTS wasn't all that bad, as it was even once Porsche's number one selling product. However, after more than ten years, a look back at the Cayenne's first iteration shows that it was a fine, accomplished SUV that paved the way for the crossover utilities of ultra-luxury and supercar automakers today, such as the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus.      The Cayenne joined the market in 2003 as Porsche's first utility vehicle. However, it was not exactly greeted with welcoming arms the year it was announced, to put it lightly, with many Porsche fanboys most likely wincing in disgust the moment it was shown, thinking it was the point of Porsche's downfall, or their worst product since the 964. However, its mix between a family SUV and a performance car, is an experiment that can be called a success.      Its unique design, featuring an aer...

     The BMW E60, with a total production number amounting over a staggering 1.3 million, cemented itself as the classic executive car, and as the prime example of a four door saloon. And one prime example is this one, spotted on a cloudy day within the small neighborhood streets of Quezon City. With its German roots and iconic looks, the E60 was a success from the start.      The E60 began its development process way back in 1997, five years before its release. The fifth gen 5 Series went on to become one of BMW's best-selling vehicles until its closure in 2010. The appearance of the E60 was designed with the goal of being a visual link between generations of the 3 Series, such as its structure, giving it an arc in the shape of the BMW E90 coupe, and a crease wavering around its body, from its front headlamps all the way to its trunk.      Its muscular yet sleek image fitted in well with the power it held within itself. The 525i carried a 2....

     With over a million miles logged in testing, and a million more hours subject to pure torment in the hot desert sands of Nevada and Dubai to the cold winter winds of Russia and the Arctic, was the W204 C-Class put through. However, before all of that, the third gen C-Class of the Mercedes-Benz brand was forged, rather than fire and brimstone, but through Intel CPUs, computer geeks, and the sputtering sound of the Mercedes-Benz office coffee machine.      In the hot German summer of 2003, the W204 was the first Mercedes-Benz to ever be designed as a digital blueprint, containing over 2 terabytes of data, before actually being made. The computerized prototype was put through a virtual distance of at least 15 million miles, and numerous computer simulations of crash tests before a physical copy of the car even existed. At the end of the year, the design of the W204 was touched up before its physical fiberglass model was released to the public in 2004. ...

     With the opening of the Geely era after its sale by Ford for massive $1.8 billion came the then-new Volvo S60. It entered the compact luxury market with Volvo's new smooth and viscous design mimicking the flow of a river after a goal was set for its looks to appeal to younger demographics. Although it wasn't your average wealthy teen's first dream car, it was one of the choices a parent of a wealthy teen would dream to have for his or her's kid due to its reputation for safety and comparatively cheaper price tag when put next to its rivaling sedans.      Competing with the 3 Series BMW, the C-Class Mercedes-Benz, and the Audi A4, the Volvo was priced between ₱2.8 million and ₱3.1 million. As an executive entry level sedan, it was a one-of-a-kind bargain, with its most expensive variant being ₱300,000 cheaper than the least equipped 3 Series. At the time, it was not what people expected of Volvo, after abandoning their old boxy designs such as the 850, ...

     Short for "Elegant Sedan", The Lexus ES 350, as seen here, is part of Lexus's series of luxury sedans. This stealthy luxury saloon, part of the sixth generation of Lexus's mid-size sedans, would not give it justice by simply calling it subtle. Its under-the-radar appeal to consumers make it a perfect choice for those wanting to go unnoticed by the crowd, those wanting less flash and more dash.      The gen six ES was revealed during the New York International Auto Show on 2012, along with its hybrid variant. Saying goodbye to its Camry-like looks as if it were a half-brother, it then started sporting features as if it were a close relative instead. Built solely in Lexus's manufacturing plant in Japan for the domestic market, the ES 350 was priced at about ₱3.5 million. Despite carrying a hefty price tag with the lack of looks, it was justified by what came with it inside.      It was fitted with a smooth and quiet 3.5L V6 engine, capable...

     The first iteration of the Audi A4, one of the most iconic German sedans of the 90's. The A4 represented a major shift in Audi's brand. Besides a change in the nomenclature system, the A4 showcased its take on luxury, facing on the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Conservative, yet timeless in design and styling, the more radical developments occurred internally within the car's inner workings. This really marked Audi's turning point as an automaker.      Developed at a cost of $1.2 billion, the A4 made its first step in late 1994. Built on the same platform as the Volkswagen Passat, it had a simple front-engined, front-wheel drive design, available in two variants, the saloon version and the estate version. The A4 was made available with numerous engines, however, the one fitted in the feature presentation was a 1.8L 4-cylinder engine, capable of producing over 120 brake horsepower and 170 Nm of torque. This gave it a top speed of 205 km/h, worrying ma...

     The Mitsubishi Lancer, one of the country's iconic automotives, built and assembled since its first iteration in 1973 until its demise in 2014. Its black coat of paint, dimly tinted windows, and its quite intimidating looking wheels showed a glimpse to everyone around it what the Lancer really was. What its like to look mean and scary.      The ninth generation Mitsubishi Lancer was manufactured from the beginning of 2007 until the quarter end of 2017, with more than ten years in production. However, the Lancer was only made here from 2008 to 2014 in Mitsubishi's home plant in the Philippines, at Cainta, Rizal.  After its local production ceased, it was still sold here, although imported instead from Thailand.      Priced between ₱840,000 and ₱1.195 million, its main competitors were the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla. On its side were its sporty handling and striking exterior, giving the Civic a run for its money and offering t...

      Last weekend, I was given the opportunity to attend the annual Manila International Auto Show. Based on visitors, cars on display, and presented exhibits, it became known as the biggest auto show in the Philippines.     During the local exhibition, over 400 cars, trucks and other vehicles were shown. Since the event took place at the World Trade Center in Pasay, the place was big and strife with attendees such as I. Instead of narrating each and every thing I saw, what better to put than pictures.     Right at the start, just after the ticket booth, was the truck section. Many of those in display were trucks manufactured in China and Europe, such as DAF. At the tail end of the section were two large pickups in display, a Ford Raptor and a Ram 2500. They belonged to One Fortress, a luxury car dealership and a body shop specializing in armoring and bulletproofing vehicles.      Inside the hall were numerous exhibits scattered right b...