Story & photos by Patrick Tulfo
VOLKSWAGEN Philippines treated members of the motoring media to a night of music, fun, laughter, unlimited helpings of German sausages (actually, just one of the many courses prepared for us) with bottles of famous German lagers on January 22.
The event was dubbed as “Media Appreciation Night,” which was held at its upscale showroom at the Bonifacio Global City. VW’s top honchos led by President and CEO John Philip “JP” Orbeta and Chief Operating Adviser Klaus Schadewald, thanked the media for helping make 2015 a banner for the company.
In his opening remarks, Orbeta said, “I express my deepest appreciation to all of you for helping us achieve extensive market awareness for our entire product lineup. I also want to express my gratitude for helping Volkswagen hurdle the challenges along the way, through your balanced, objective and fair reports of various automotive issues.
“As we endeavor to provide the motoring public a more exciting and dynamic Volkswagen Philippines in 2016, we shall enjoy the full support of the Ayala Group in light of our full integration within the Ayala Corporate family,” Orbeta added.
Schadewald echoed these words by saying that they are not looking in selling hundreds of units every month for this year but targets at least a thousand. He also introduced the new variants of their existing models, which will surely stir excitement among the fans of VW brand. The Jetta, the latest model to join the impressive lineup of VW vehicles being sold in their showroom, was also introduced.
The Jetta will be available in two variants; the top-of-the-line Comfortline, which is powered by a 2.0 Turbo Common Rail Direct Injection, four-cylinder engine and mated to a six-speed DSG transmission. The other variant, the Trendline, on the other hand, is powered by a 1.4 TSI engine, which is mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission. This is the same engine that motivates the current Beetle.
The Beetle will now be available in two more variants—the Dune Buggy for the outdoorsy types and the Cabriolet, or the top-down, for the sun-worshippers.
Meanwhile, the Polo Sedan gets a much-needed upgrade in 2016, which now sports with a 15″ Tosa alloy wheels; Halogen H7 headlights with an integrated turn signal lights; and a headlight adjuster. The new front and rear bumpers plus the color-keyed mirrors with turn signals and colored-keyed door handles will surely catch some attention. This is finished nicely with a new rear combination lamp design and remote trunk opening switch.
Meanwhile, the Tiguan in the compact SUV segment offers several new features to prospective buyers dubbed as the Business edition. It is highlighted by the Vienna leather seats with 12-way power adjustable driver seat, as well as the safety-optimized front head restraints, which now feature a longitudinal and height adjustment; and the RCD510 audio head unit with CD, MP3, USB and AUX-in that now has a color touch screen.
Exterior wise, the Tiguan features a set of New York 18″ alloy wheels; LED daytime running lights; the Xenon headlamps with washers now also has a range adjustment; dynamic cornering lights with auto activation and separate daytime running lights; and electronically adjustable power folding side mirrors with heaters for cold weather and side turning lights.
Other variants that will be coming this year are the Comfortline and Highline variants for the Golf, the R-Line for the high-end Passat and Touareg.