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Biggest motoring trends in 2022

Biggest motoring trends in 2022

Botchi Santos

The year 2022 saw some major shifts in the industry, reshaping the landscape and elevating the industry to a more mature, discerning and critically, a more stable one.

2022 saw the entry of Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPh) as the importer and distributor of its brand and products after being handled by HARI for many years. With the entry of the parent company, Filipino buyers are hoping for a better overall buying and ownership experience from the brand. The same can be said of Astara, the Spanish multi-national and multi-brand distributor which now oversees stewardship of the vaunted French brand Peugeot, and more recently, GAC Automobiles from China. Astara has been around since 1973, and has extensive presence in Europe and Latin America. The Philippines being the company’s first foothold in Asia, there is much to hope for the Peugeot and GAC brands with Astara at the helm.

2022 also saw a major shift in buyer preference for cars. While B-segment cars still rule the primary private passenger car segment, small 7-seat MPV’s are now the next preferred model upgrade for people moving out of B-segment cars who need more space and versatility. 2022 saw the launch of the revised Mitsubishi Xpander duo, its Nissan clone the Livina, the futuristic Hyundai Stargazer, and the all-new Honda BRV, which carefully but brilliantly straddles the line between SUV and MPV perfectly. Toyota already has their Avanza and Veloz MPVs so 2023 will be a very hot year for this segment as it grows further.

Another hot trend for 2022 was the boom in electric vehicles (EVs) and to a lesser extent, hybrids. With the enactment of the Republic Act 11697 Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) in April 15, 2022, the industry suddenly jumped at supporting the law. Brands like Audi, BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, all started offering full electric vehicles months prior anticipating the law’s impending implementation. In 2023, more brands are promising more EVs and hybrids for the Filipino consumers. EVs are of course cheaper to ‘fill-up’ on a full charge versus conventional internal combustion engined- cars and are exempt from the number coding scheme alongside hybrids, as well.

On the other side of the landscape, developers like SM Supermalls, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, and Ayala Malls have slowly started to roll out fast-charging stations in their shopping centers, with more planned in the near future. Shell Fuels’ Mamplasan station on the northbound lane of SLEX also has the country’s first pay per use rapid charger and Shell is open to more of its outlets offering chargers in the future as market demand increases.

Fuel prices have skyrocketed in 2022 thanks in no small part to the war in Ukraine. With the UN imposing economic sanctions on Russia for its criminal annexation of the former Soviet territory, it unwittingly cut off valuable fuel supply into Europe, one of the largest consumers of fuels for home heating, commerce and mobility. This has been further exacerbated by OPEC’s limited production output which has not taken up the vacuum left by fuel banned from Russia affecting the entire global economy. The Philippines, heavily reliant on oil from OPEC, has become a collateral casualty of this war as it competes with Europe for fuel supply. There is a renewed focus on fuel efficient vehicles, and the high pump prices are prompting people to explore hybrids and electric vehicles. Will we stop being a diesel- powered country soon?

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On a less serious, more enjoyable note, motorsport has boomed greatly in the country in 2022. There are a wide variety of organized motorsport events thriving in the country, from drag racing, autocross, rally-cross and rally sprint, to full on circuit racing, such as the manufacturer-backed Toyota Vios Cup and the Mazda Miata Spec Series, in partnership with the Manila Sports Car Club, plus the privateer-organized Miata Cup for older MX-5 Roadsters. To level up, there is the Formula V1 and Radical Challenge Philippines series which are the fastest, most raw racing series in the country. Then there are time-attack and gentlemen grid races organized regularly, as well together with numerous track-day events from car clubs and industry organizations. All these are signs of a maturing, discerning and stable motoring industry and provides a safe venue for people to enjoy driving at full tilt. The two major race tracks (Batangas Racing Circuit and Clark International Speedway) owned by businessman Johnny Tan sure are busy these days.

2022 was a very hectic, very busy, and very interesting year that saw many shifts and changes. Let’s hope 2023 will be a better, brighter year for everyone and the industry as a whole!

Merry Christmas to you all and enjoy the holidays!