THE Toyota Hilux launch theme was “impact.” And impact it was that dealers and journalists got this week at Clark, Pampanga. The stage alone at Fontana’s massive convention center, venue for the high-octane unveiling of the all-new Hilux, had been creatively done that the motif of metallic gray all over was simply too good to be true.
The wall-to-wall props of make-believe bricks and hollow blocks were so beautifully done, indeed, that they blended well with the all-too-powerful eighth-generation GD Hilux. When the red and silver Hilux muscles roared onto the stage with much bravado and unmistakable swagger, everybody was lost in awe and suspense.
Indeed, the unveiling was a show of impact from beginning to end.
“Our president wanted an impact and so we gave him the impact he wanted,” said Sherwin Chua Lim, a top gun at Toyota Motor Philippines’s (TMP) marketing division peopled by passion-driven dudes like Jose Ariel Arias, Raymond Rodriguez, Carlo Ablaza, Jade Sison and Yohei Murase, among others.
Even before the show was halfway through, it was steadily showered with applause. When I asked Michinobu “The Rocker” Sugata his thoughts, the TMP president said, “I am getting much, much impact from the Toyota boys and they are simply amazing.”
In his speech, Sugata-san said, very aptly to describe the moment: “I can’t help myself but be proud of what we have prepared for you tonight. Let our event speak when we say that this vehicle is definitely ‘every inch a Hilux.’ This model has been loved by thousands of our customers, giving it the name ‘King of Pickups.’ We are confident that this new generation will gain even more fans due to its beautiful look and additional features.”
Sugata-san even brought in person to the show Kenji Kurita, the assistant chief engineer of the Hilux that first hit town in 1993 and has now sold a total of 56,417 units.
After his speech, Kurita joined the throng in applauding another standing-ovation performance by Sugata-san, who happily stunned the audience the second time he climbed up the stage.
His rendition of the smash hit “Hotel California” by The Eagles shook the very foundations of the convention hall from the deafening cheers of a crowd that applauds lustily when it sees a genuine rocker do his act.
I give credit to True Faith, the band for the night (thanks to the sharp eyes of JA Arias, of course) which more than ably backed up Sugata-san’s performance. What made Sugata-san’s solo show more dramatic was when he sang, at times, with his eyes closed, even nudging aside—politely, of course—the mobile phone being offered him by Medwin, the True Faith’s lead singer; the phone contained the lyrics of “Hotel California,” but Sugata-san had no need for it as it was simply pretty obvious he knows the words by heart.
The program was capped by the presentation on the giant screen of a rare collage of performances by the iconic singers and bands from the 1960s to the 1990s, featuring the likes of Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones, Turtles, Troggs, Jim Morrison and The Doors, Duran Duran and Smokey Robinson, among others. I’ve never seen anything like that in any vehicle launch the last 25 years or so.
The morning after was the actual on-road and off-road drive of the Hilux at Clark, which featured a trip to the famous but treacherous Sacobia River to cap the challenging off-road drive conceptualized mainly by off-road king driver Beeboy Bargas.
The all-new Hilux has seven variants, with the first one, the 2.4 Cab and Chassis, priced at P776,000. The top-of-the-line 4×4 2.8 G Diesel A/T is pegged at P1.685 million and the M/T at P1.555 million. The next five variants are at 4×2, with the 2.4 G Diesel A/T tagged at P1.283 million and the M/T P1.208 million. The 2.4 E Diesel M/T is at P1.033 million and the 2.4 J Diesel M/T at P929,000.
They have become that pricey, indeed. When my son bought his Hilux in 1997, it didn’t even breach the P500,000 mark. It is still in running condition—and it has even become a collector’s item now. In fact, Frankie Lim, the coowner of Toyota Q.A., wants to buy it.
Sugata-san ended his speech on Tuesday night, thus: “This all-new Hilux is the car to beat in its segment. It is tougher, bolder and braver than you can imagine. Toyota’s premier pickup just got better. Therefore, it is time for you to see the new era of pickups…it is time to welcome the King!”
The King of Rock ‘N’ Roll in the motoring industry has spoken.
PEE STOP. It is actually almost the season of vehicle launches, with Peugeot unveiling its latest model in another fun-filled event last night behind the high-caliber combine of Peugeot President Glen Dasig and Dong Magsajo…On August 6 Lotus Cars Manila of wily Willy Tee Ten, the guy who recently bared his Triple Towers Elise, Exige and Evora, opens its state-of-the-art showroom at Ortigas Avenue, North Greenhills, San Juan…But before that, on August 4, Willy Soong showcases his Land Rover Discovery series at The Axon, with British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad himself no less as the guest of honor.