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motoring
Editor: Brian Afuang • motoring@manilatimes.net
The ˜Manila Times TUESDAY April 27, 2010
»OLDSCHOOL 1990 HYUNDAI SCOUPE
BASED on its sedan sibling, the Excel, the Hyundai
Scoupe built from 1990 until 1995 was a two-door
coupe that never really had any sporting trait, what
with a lethargic (even for the era) Mitsubishi-sourced
81-horsepower 1.5-liter engine. The genius of the
model, however,
was its truly
inspired name.
UP NEXT
Hyundai
■ The Hyundai Next Generation
models (from left) Starex Grand
Limousine, Santa Fe, Tucson,
Genesis Coupe and Sonata in
front of the Bellarocca Resort,
which sits on an island off
Marinduque. PHOTO BY BRIAN AFUANG
BY BRIAN AFUANG MOTORING EDITOR
IN choosing an off-the-beaten-path but utterly
lovely destination for its recent road trip event,
Hyundai not-so-subtly delivered the message
that its vehicles are perfect alternatives that car
buyers should get to know. Clearly, the Next
Generation Hyundais have arrived, and they’re
poised to challenge the established marques.
Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI),
the country’s exclusive distributor of the
brand, last week gathered 14 new
Hyundai models and, with about half a
dozen more Hyundais, arranged a long
train of Korean automobilia to a drive that
took off from Alabang, then traversed
parts of Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.
From there, a ferry vessel took the
vehicles, journalists covering the motoring
beat, HARI people and a support staff to
the island of Marinduque, on which
divine—and at places, serpentine—roads
the group did serious driving time in the
course of three days. All done to showcase
the Next Generation Hyundais.
Actually, HARI said the Next Generation
theme refers to a series of “road adventure
campaigns” that feature Hyundai cars and
SUVs in the “roads leading to the different
islands in the Philippine archipelago.”
Through the campaign, the company said
it hopes to encourage Filipinos to preserve
Philippine culture and heritage by way of
discovering new places while aboard
Hyundai vehicles. In the process, the
company said it also aims to help
promote local tourism.
Marinduque memories
From the Dalahican port in Lucena,
Quezon, Marinduque is reached by Roll-
on/Roll-off ferry, which in the Hyundai
event landed at Balanacan port, only a
few kilometers from the provincial
capital of Boac.
To a first-time visitor, Boac immediately
comes across as a place caught in a time
warp whose streets are lined with stately
homes of Spanish-Filipino mix. In the town
plaza, pine trees are unexpected foliage and
the capital’s centerpiece is the majestic Boac
Cathedral that rises over the town.
Marinduque holds more surprises. Take
the coastal roads going south to the towns
of Gasan and Buenavista and piquant
scenes of fishermen’s bancas and fishing
nets dot the land/seascape. Round
Marinduque from the other side and the
town of Santa Cruz is reached by driving
across a canvas painted with coconut trees.
The winding roads leading to Torrijos
snake through Marinduque’s inland towns
and a spectacular view of Mount Malindig
is afforded to fortunate travelers on this
part of the island.
A major attraction of Marinduque is the
Bellarocca Resort, which sits off the large
island. A secluded, upscale place,
Bellarocca has a Las Vegas theme hotel
vibe about it as it projects a Greek island
illusion from across the shoreline.
But what certainly stitches
Marinduque’s towns together is its
bares its Next Generation
vehicles in a drive to Marinduque
network of roads that, because of the
isolation of the island, are almost
deserted. Which ensures great driving over
coconut tree-lined straights in the
flatlands to delightful twisties in the
mountains to rally-like stages in some
unpaved portions.
Hyundai experience
The setting, therefore, was perfect for
sampling the new Hyundai models, which
in the event’s case, was led by one of the
carmaker’s top sellers; the all-new Tucson.
Powered by 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter gasoline
engines, as well as a 2.0-liter diesel-burning
unit, the Tucson packs amazing value
within its strikingly bold bodywork. Such
virtues were proven further during
Hyundai’s road trip as stints with the
model were welcome, the vehicles being
passably comfortable in long hauls and
come fitted with enough convenience
features to entertain its occupants. The
diesel variant, however, emerged as the
crowd favorite, and credit here goes to its
ample torque (392 Newton-meters at a low
1,800 to 2,500rpm sweet spot) that makes
passing and sprinting quite enjoyable.
The Tucson’s big brother, the newly
face-lifted Santa Fe, was also included in
the event and served as a more refined
and luxurious alternative to the younger
Tucsons. Being larger, the Santa Fe has a
longer wheelbase, which means a comfier
ride with less fore and aft pitching on
highways. Also available in 2.4-liter gas
engines and a 2.2-liter diesel (plus a
class-leading six-speed automatic
gearbox), the Santa Fe is a slightly pricier
Hyundai SUV wearing conventional
styling that isn’t as polarizing as that
found on the Tucson.
Adding its own brand of luxo-driving
factor was the lone Starex van, which was
decked in full “Grand Limousine” duds.
This Starex rendition packs shiny bling
wheels, a roof extension, a huge TV set and
various gizmos and furniture that wouldn’t
look out of place in a luxury condo.
While some i30 hatchbacks and an
Accent subcompact were at the road trip,
HARI deemed that the event participants
drive only its most dazzling cars, which
turned out to be the soon-to-debut Sonata
midsize luxury sedan and the tunerfavorite
Genesis Coupe.
As draw luck would have it, I got first
dibs on the Sonata, which means I drove it
from Alabang all the way to the port going
to Bellarocca. The Sonata—with its totally
premium items like leather everything,
multimedia player, metallic pieces, paddle
shifter for the six-speed automatic transmission
and a panoramic moonroof that
spans the entire top of the car—is a
sybaritic treat that rivals those models sold
by haughty European marques. On the
200-kilometer drive, the Sonata’s posh and
power were impressive, and HARI’s
intention to target market leaders like the
Toyota Camry or Honda Accord with its
own premium midsize sedan bet doesn’t
seem preposterous at all if one only gets
the chance to know this car.
As a contrast to the cushy Sonata, the
Genesis Coupe for its part reminded its
fortunate drivers (myself included) what
makes the act of driving such a pleasurable
activity. The car’s taut suspension,
rear-wheel drive, neutral handling, oh-socommunicative
steering, respectable
power output and awesome looks all
conspire to deliver an experience that
would put it among the top spots of any
enthusiast’s or automotive writer’s list of
best car-centric experiences. On the right
roads (like Marinduque’s) and in a right
car (like the Genesis Coupe), traveling
becomes both a means and an end.
What comes next can only be good things.
»autoworld
HYUNDAI POSTS RECORD
JUMP IN 1Q NET PROFIT
SEOUL: Hyundai Motor bared last week
its net profit jumped nearly five-fold in
the first quarter of this year on the
back of strong sales abroad. Net profit
for the three months to March 31
jumped to a record $1 billion,
compared with just over $200 million a
year ago, Korea’s top carmaker said.
Hyundai said it had steadily
expanded its global market share,
helped by strong performances in China
and India. Its total car sales at home and
abroad stood at 840,258 units, up 29.9
percent from the same period last year.
DESPITE RECALLS, TOYOTA’S
SALES IN MARCH SURGE
TOKYO: Crisis-hit carmaker Toyota said
yesterday that its global sales surged
26.3 percent year-on-year in March,
despite millions of safety recalls
worldwide, as the industry rebounds
from the economic slump.
Other Japanese manufacturers such as
Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Mazda also
reported sales and production rises for
the month, partly helped by a low basis of
comparison with last year when the
industry was hit by the financial crisis.
“The March figures showed gradual
recovery in the Japanese auto industry
in general,” said Tatsuya Mizuno, an
auto analyst at Mizuno Credit Advisory.
“The upward trend is likely to continue
for the rest of the year as brighter signs
of a global economic recovery are
benefiting the auto industry.”
The Toyota group, which includes
brands Daihatsu and Hino trucks, said
it sold 876,126 vehicles in March, up
from 693,759 a year earlier, company
spokesman Paul Nolasco said. Toyota
also said global production jumped
82.2 percent in March to 860,534
units compared with a year ago, when
the industry scaled back to cope with
evaporating demand.
Mizuno warned that despite signs of
recovery Toyota is surrounded by “a lot
of uncertainty, and the negative impact
of its recalls is likely to linger.” The
company is looking to restore its
battered reputation after recalling
around 10 million vehicles worldwide.
BMW RUSHES TO SELL
MEGACITY CAR BY 2013
FRANKFURT: BMW bared last week it
intends to launch its first all-electric
urban vehicle in 2013, two years earlier
than planned. Called Megacity, the car
“will be an emission-free city vehicle
for metropolitan areas around the
world,” BMW said.
The move is seen as a response to its
competitors. Daimler is poised to launch
this year an electric version of its mini
Smart car as well as a version of its
Mercedes A Class. For its part, Volkswagen,
Europe’s biggest carmaker, expects to
launch its electric car in 2013 also.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s
government aims to have one million
electric cars on the road by 2020. AFP
Expunging the stigma
WE’D be missing the point if we
assumed that the purpose behind
the recent Hyundai Next Generation
Media Test Drive event was so the Korean
car brand could haughtily show off the
spoils of its newfound prominence in the
Philippine automotive market. Sure, the
destination—the Bellarocca Island Resort
in Marinduque—is reportedly so expensive
you’d only sponsor a two-night stay
there if you wanted to impress (no, make
that blow away) your guests.
Make no mistake about it: The choice of
the venue was as calculated as the release of
fine mist from Hyundai’s new electronic
variable geometry turbo-diesel engines. If
the carmaker’s media guests were keen,
they would make the subtle connection.
Bellarocca, like Hyundai, is a gleaming
paradigm of a victorious transformation.
In the early ’90s, the island that
Bellarocca is sitting on right now, was
famous for a different kind of tourism.
Called Elefante Island, the property was
then managed by a group of Japanese
businessmen who allegedly had ties with
the Yakuza. Back then, the island earned
for itself a reputation for being a haven for
sexually adventurous foreigners. Local
residents around the island recall seeing
exquisite women being ferried to the
island on a regular basis—supposedly for
the hedonistic consumption of the
island’s high-spending patrons.
The fetid notoriety of
Elefante Island reeked so
strongly that anyone who lived
in Marinduque knew about its
nefarious activities. “Yes, the
VERNON
B. SARNE
island’s reputation was really
tainted,” admits Fred Malvar,
the captain of Barangay
Malusak in Boac, some 50
kilometers from Bellarocca. “We even
heard accounts of bestiality going on there,
in which a woman would be made to
copulate with a dog, just so the guests
could be entertained.”
Today, the island is home to the
immaculate-white, Greek-inspired villas of
Bellarocca. The local government of
Marinduque certainly did well in reclaiming
the glory of this fine patch of real
state. Even fire-and-brimstone-spewing
moralists would gladly pay a handsome
amount to spend a weekend there.
Quite a coincidence, because in the
’90s, too, Hyundai was famous for a
different kind of car-making. Back then,
the most decent vehicle Filipinos got from
the company was the Galloper, essentially
a rebadged model of the first-generation
Mitsubishi Pajero. Hyundai was so
clueless about car manufacture that it
needed to beg an established Japanese
carmaker for mechanical hand-me-downs.
The Hyundai brand was so lowly you’d get
laughed at if you even so much as
considered driving one of
its cars.
Of course, we all know
what has happened since
then.
Hyundai—mastering the
art of assembling value-formoney,
reliable and
HARDTOP fashionably styled cars—has
worked its way to becoming the fourthlargest
carmaker in the world, next only to
Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen. In
the Philippines—where the Starex van used
to be synonymous with “dirt-cheap”—
Hyundai’s metamorphosis is even more
dramatic, outselling traditionally wellknown
brands like Nissan and Isuzu in a
market that places Japanese makes on
pedestals. And in the first quarter of this
year, Hyundai sold a total of 4,572 units to
seize the third overall spot from another
pride of Japan, Honda, which managed to
move just 4,500 cars after nearly two
■ Hyundai used Marinduque—famous for
the Moriones Festival—as a symbolic backdrop for its new vehicles. PHOTO BY VERNON SARNE
decades of dominating the local market
with such popular models as the Civic, the
CR-V and the City.
Next in Hyundai’s sights are Mitsubishi
and Toyota. It seems improbable now, but
with segment-busting next-generation
vehicles in its pipeline, Hyundai might
just pull it off in the next couple of years.
The Tucson has already killed the CR-V.
The Santa Fe is so luxurious it offers a sixspeed
automatic transmission and a
touch-screen multi-info screen. The Starex
has so improved its quality that Hyundai
has the audacity to affix the words
“Grand” and “Limousine” to its name. The
Sonata is now looking like a serious (and
attractive) challenger to the Camry. And
the Genesis Coupe is so desirable even
Porsche owners now think of parking one
in their once-snooty garages.
The most pointed symbolism here is that
Bellarocca—now a wholesome lifestyle
resort you wouldn’t mind taking your
family to—rose from the infamy of the
Japanese-owned Elefante Island. Hyundai,
on the other hand, systematically slew one
Japanese rival at a time to become the
world-class car company that it is today.
Both Bellarocca and Hyundai have freed
themselves from the stigma of their past.
Both now get flocks of adoring clients and
loyal admirers. Both have silenced their
detractors. It would be a pity if my
colleagues didn’t see the connection.