|
WHAT
better way to sell a product than to get a demonstration
from the guy who runs the show himself?
This is
the treat we got in
Singapore
when Subaru, distributed in the Philippines by Motor
Image, launched its latest Impreza WRX STI.
No less
than Glen Tan, president of Motor Image, gave us a wild
and exhilarating demonstration of the WRX rally car
champion at Turf City, a former horse racetrack turned
into a multisports arena.
Flying
into the track was the blue 2008 Subaru WRX dressed in
its STI regalia, giving the audience a show of what it
can do on the road. Spins, turns and trick drives by
another Impreza driven by Asia-Pacific rally champion
Cody Crocker wowed the crowd, and when the exhibition
was over and the tire smoke cleared, Tan popped out of
the STI and bowed to the crowd.
The new
Impreza is truly a wonderful thing. Although we were
only given a chance to drive it in controlled
conditions, the 200-plus horsepower of its engine was
still a massive power plant to handle. The different
high-end electronic controls on the STI gave it better
handling and maneuverability even at high speeds,
allowing us to take twists and turns in such a wonderful
weave.
We were
also given the chance to drive the different models of
Subaru in different situations to feel the power and
control of the cars. There were sudden-stop situations
to show its braking ability, balance and handling.
And then
there was the taste of the other models like the Tribeca
which has just come out in the
Philippines,
the Legacy, Forester and the small but very cute R1 and
R2. These were very good cars and we had a fun time
driving them around.
Big news
at the event was that Toyota announced that it had
increased its ownership of Fuji Industries, the
manufacturer of Subaru cars, from a little over 7
percent to 16.5 percent just this month.
Norio
Fukue of Subaru said, “This is a positive move for both
companies as both will benefit from each other.”
Both
companies excel in different areas of the
automobile-manufacturing industry and their combination
should give competitors a heads up on future plans by
both brands.
Toyota will now jointly develop a super car with Subaru, while
Subaru will definitely benefit from the manufacturing
marketing and sales distribution of K-class micro cars
from the
Toyota
subsidiary Daihatsu, at least right now for the Japanese
domestic market.
In
return, Subaru can now embark on the development of
alternative energy drives, like the Prius Hybrid in
cooperation with Toyota’s Research and Development. For
Toyota, with Subaru, they now have toe hold in the
younger and sports-inclined market niches.
Fukue
emphasized, however, that
Toyota’s
big step into Subaru only enhances Subaru’s financial
stability, adding that enthusiasts and fans of Subaru
need not fear any dilution of brand values. This stems
from the fact that Toyota values the core competence of
Subaru and the very reason it wants a closer relation
with Fuji Heavy Industries. |
