Ford Explorer

MANILA, Philippines — Looking back at 2011 brings to mind a fair share of celebrations and calamities. As we look forward to the year to come, we take this opportunity to look back at what has helped move the miles on our odometer.

New Brands. In 2011, the buying public was certainly spoiled for choice with new cars and brands coming in. Chinese brands Geely and DFSK made their entry in the market via the Manila Auto Salon, simultaneously unveiling their small and compact car offerings as well.

New Cars. Aside from new brands, new cars also made their debut. This year saw the introduction of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, a large luxury SUV. Its sister brand Dodge, also saw the arrival of a new Dur-ango. Mini’s first SUV model came to be known as the Countryman and was unveiled in a Wild West themed event. Finally, Ford breathed new life into the aging Explorer with a much more hi-tech 2011 model.

Sporty coupe sedans seemed to be the trend of the year as Audi, BMW Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz each unveiled their take on the new segment to take the car world by storm. Audi’s answer was the A7 sportback based on the A8 sedan. As for BMW, it was the 5 series Gran Turismo, a hatchback derivative of their popular midsize luxury car.

Chrysler pulled the wraps off its 300C, with more mature style and even more sophistication. Mercedes-Benz drew the covers off their latest CLS, an all-new version of the sports sedan first launched years ago.

Milestones. 2011 also seemed to be a milestone year, giving two brands reason to celebrate. To begin with, it was Mercedes-Benz’s 125th year anniversary and quite coincidentally, Mercedes-Benz Philippines’ 60th year as well. Their celebration served as a poignant reminder that the automobile as we know it is already 125 years old. The other celebrant this year is Chevrolet that turns a century old.

Much closer to home, an institution we’re more familiar with celebrated a milestone year as well. In honor of its 20th staging, the Trans Sport Show, merged with the Manila Sports Car Club’s Concours d’Elegance to create a super car show. Held at the SMX convention center, the double bill event featured not just the best setup modern cars, but finely restored historical classics as well as 13 of the past Best of Show winners.

Motorsports. Speaking of competition, over in F1, Sebastian Vettel, the youngest F1 driver to win a world Driver’s Championship claimed the coveted title a second time. His run to the second title seemed unchal-lenged with 11 successive top two finishes.

In stark contrast, our country lost a promising young racer in an unfortunate accident. Maico Buncio, the four-time national superbike champion lost his life after sustaining serious injuries from a crash during time trials for an upcoming race in the Clark Speedway.

Tragedies. The automotive industry took quite a blow as well following the effects of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the East coast of Japan rocked the country while the tsunamis it triggered aggravated the damage. Aside from seriously damaging and triggering meltdowns at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, several automobile parts factories had been affected, limiting worldwide supply as a result.

A few months later, torrential rains in Southern Asia caused massive flooding throughout Thailand, one of Asia’s biggest automotive manufacturing hubs, severely affecting supply throughout the region.

Progress. In spite of all these tragedies, Japan as well as the Philippine auto industry continue to move forward. As of October this year, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines reports only a 3.5 percent decline over the past year.

As for progress on the roads, the MMDA’s CCTV coverage over the capital’s major thoroughfares has caught its fair share of incidents and altercations. The world’s deadliest highway, Commonwealth Avenue received a strict 60 km/h speed limit. It also gained a motorcycle lane in an effort to keep motorists disciplined along the long and wide road.

(Next week: Part 2 — More to look forward to)