The Philippines’ Energizer Bunnies

Like what the ad says on TV…”they just keep going and going and going…”. Here are our local market cars that seem to have been around for ages. Manufacturers keep them on the production line to usually cater to the lower end of the market while the new model(s) eat up higher margins.

 

Insurance companies to stop Issuing AOG

Well it was bound to happen, non-life insurance companies (the guys who insure cars and houses) have stopped issuing Act of God coverage for cars. For those in the industry, it was no surprise. After all, insurance companies love to insure people who don’t need it and refuse coverage for people who need it the most. The main reason for stopping? They need to re-adjust the rates…

 

RFIDs? Is that what we really need?

"Speeding ka sir!"

I’m sure you’ve heard the LTO plan to forcibly place radio frequncy ID (RFID) tags in all cars by October 2009. The upsides, according to the Transportation Assistant Secretary Arturo Lomibao are:

• Renewals of vehicle registration could be made faster/easier.
• It could also be used to easily identify stolen vehicles.
• More efficient traffic law enforcement through the quick identification of “colorum” vehicles. This in turn will help improve traffic flow and lessen air pollution.
• No need to go to LTO to pay traffic violations. Your RFID could be charged directly (contactless payment) after citation — no more confiscation of driver’s license.

Now now lets, go over this point by point:

 

The BYD F0…another Chinese clone?

Toyota Aygo

BYD F0

While it may look like a Toyota Aygo…well…it does actually. But I can’t think of another better super-mini to clone. I do wish that they use this platform to build an all-electric car instead of the F3DM since the way the Aygo (and the F0) is manufactured would inevitably keep the price down. More on the F0 on this site…

 

How far has performance come?

Looking at used 80’s-era Ferrari prices, it still amazes me how much performance has actually become affordable. For example, a 1985 Ferrari 328 came with 270bhp. Brand new and in 2008 dollars, it was priced at $115,000. Fast forward to 2009, and we have the Mazdaspeed 3 with 263bhp and priced at around $25,000. If someone had told back in 1985 that someday a Mazda hatchback would have the almost the same horsepower as a Ferrari I wouldn’t have believed it.

A couple more Ferrari’s:
1987 Ferrari F40 471bhp ($747,000*)
1995 Ferrari F50 513bhp ($665,000*)
2008 Chevrolet Corvette 638bhp ($115,000)

1989 Ferrari 512 434bhp ($319,000*)
2008 Nissan GT-R 480bhp ($78,000)

*Adjusted to 2008 inflation.