Worldbex, the organizers of the highly anticipated annual Manila International Autoshow (MIAS) delivered yet another historic run as an estimated 128,000 visitors checked in for the four-day auto show.
With 21 major players from the automotive industry, four motorcycle manufacturers and more than a dozen corporate displays spread over the 34,000 square meter display hall of the World Trade Center, visitors were treated to an automotive display that rocked their visual senses. Hands down, the stars of the show were the display booths of Honda Cars Philippines Incorporated (HCPI) and Motul Philippines.
After its successful debut at the Geneva International Motor Show, the star of this year’s MIAS is the Honda Civic Type R. The Type R represents the brand’s racing and development of high performance vehicles. Sporting an extensive aerodynamic design characterized by its muscular and aggressive frame, the Civic Type R is equipped with a 2.0 liter turbo engine that pumps out a healthy 320bhp with peak torque of 400Nm. Mazda’s drop top beauty, the MX-5RF created a stir when it was unveiled to the public, as it attracted attention like bees to honey.
The next booth which created a loud buzz and the most visited during the show was the corporate display of Motul Philippines which had a combined value of 250 million pesos worth of metal. According to Carlos Gono, President of Motul Philippines, the sports cars displayed at their booth were highly collectible and very rare limited edition supercars. Visitors ogled at the one of five McLaren Prototype 433 675LT; one of 12 Ferrari Novitec Rosso F12; one of 25 Mercedes Benz CLK DTM Cabriolet; one of 500 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350R and one of 799 Ferrari TDF F12. “I was talking to the owners of these amazing cars since November of 2016 for this year’s MIAS. I wanted the public to know that we also have rare supercars here in the country. The good thing about these cars is that they are daily driven and not garage queens. The owners use and abuse these supercars,” explains Gono.
With Honda and Motul leading the display of this year’s theme of “Beyond Performance”, other notable launches were that of Hyundai with its Genesis G90 and Creta variants; the Challenger SRT Hellcat of Dodge; the Mopar edition Jeep Wrangler, the Subaru Impreza of Motor Image; a collectible resto-mod Toyota Land Cruiser of Black Rhino and the display of expensive superbikes by CTEK Battery chargers.