DURING the recently concluded 2nd Philippine International Motor Show, no less than President Arroyo’s expressed the government’s desire to harness biofuels and encouraged the local automotive industry to offer hybrid cars to the public in order to “free the country” from total reliance from oil-producing countries.

“The search for cheaper and cleaner fuel has become a necessity not only because we want cleaner motoring but also in the light of the worsening global environment, both in terms of the ecology and the economy, and the increased pressure on economies that have little or no energy sources of their own,” President Arroyo said.

It is in this perspective that the president urged the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) to continue introducing innovative vehicles that use alternative fuels. “You have come up with automotive units that not only comply with the Clean Air Act but are also fuel-efficient. The automotive industry of the Philippines produces hybrid models and flexi-fuel engines that blend ethanol with gasoline fuel. We await the hybrid models that shift from gasoline fuel to electric power at the touch of a button.” She also thanked the members of Campi for their “key role in the country’s motor-vehicle development.”

One of the stop-gap efforts the government has done is to help cut the cost of kits for jeepney owners who want to convert to alternative fuels. “We have acted to provide price relief to our most vital industries, such as transportation, to minimize costs to owners, employees and commuters. I have already authorized the secretary of the Budget to transfer half a billion pesos from the National Treasury to the Postal Bank which will be the main conduit for this kind of loans for transforming the engines of our public-transport vehicles,” she added. “I have mandated government agencies to lower fuel consumption in liters by 10 percent and to convert 20 percent of their vehicles in major cities to use LPG [liquefied petroleum gas]. So, we call on the automotive industry to respond by providing more hybrid models and more vehicles using LPG, CNG [compressed natural gas] or biofuels. And we call on all businesses to respond by providing transport assistance to workers, for instance, company buses, and eliminating unnecessary usage until prices somehow come back down. And we call on our people to increase conservation and decrease use of unnecessary travel and energy use.”

WHO said the stick shift was dead?

Don’t tell that to Toyota people like Raymond Rodriguez and Jing Atienza. Formula One freaks themselves, they’d be the first to tell you the stick shift is here to stay.

THERE are motor shows and there are motor shows. One could say that each and every one has its own peculiarity. The Tokyo Motor Show is all about technology. In Detroit it is all about power and muscle, while in Paris it is almost always about auto fashion. (What? It is France, after all!)

PGMA airs need for alternative fuels, help from Campi

DURING the recently concluded 2nd Philippine International Motor Show, no less than President Arroyo’s expressed the government’s desire to harness biofuels and encouraged the local automotive industry to offer hybrid cars to the public in order to “free the country” from total reliance from oil-producing countries.

ONE day, my youngest kid Juan Miguel asked me: “What makes you angry when you’re driving?”

NOBODY saw me inside the World Trade Center during the recent 2nd Philippine International Motor Show. Nobody here means anyone I know from the automotive industry.

First of two parts

TO the casual motorist, Stephane Peterhansel may be just another ordinary Frenchman who drives a Mitsubishi Outlander, with a preference for the Mitsubishi Pajero. But to the hard-core enthusiast, he is one of the most decorated drivers in motorsports history.