Motoring Today Column

Aug 09, 2017

Please, please, don't hang me up the nearest electric post for my column's headline. If you notice it's not a statement. It is a question. A question that came up to my mind regarding TNVS after our interview with former LTFRB ( Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) chairman, Dante Lantin on the latest edition of the weekly motoring news and features electronic magazine, Motoring Today that's aired on Solar Sports TV and online on www.motoringtoday.ph regarding the controversy between the government and the operators of TNVS.

I haven't had the necessity to try any of the TNVS ( Transport Network Vehicle Services) but all of those I talk to who have, swear by their ancestors' graves that it is indeed a convenient and more reliable alternative to public transport and to some extent to one's own private vehicle in going to and coming from destinations within the metro.

Even after having said that, I cannot also fault Mr. Lantin, with his many respectable years in government service specifically in the transport sector, not to mention his active role in promoting road safety in the country, for saying what he said that TNVS worsened the metro's traffic problems. And he meant "contributed" and not caused.

Indeed the advent of TNVS in the country worsened the traffic situation, just judging from the number of vehicles that were added to their already swelling ranks, which inevitably come when a country's economy improves and its populace increases its buying power.

With the TNVS many Pinoys see the opportunity of being able to buy a car financed from the promised earnings of being part of the TNVS. Others see an opportunity to earn additional income. Whichever, one has to purchase a vehicle first before benefitting from the opportunity of joining the network-ergo more vehicles were purchased and all of these added to the already difficult to manage numbers running in the streets.

The TNVS earning opportunity produced all over again the "hot pandesal" syndrome of old, which was followed by the "water station" fad of more than a decade ago. Remember the times when there was a "hot pandesal" store in almost every corner in lower class areas and a proliferation "water stations" in middle class locations. The prospect of legitimate added earnings would definitely attract many except that in our case, a quick bandwagon effect can easily be achieved with almost everybody wanting to get into the act, lest be left out-to the point that the business prospect easily gets overcrowded to be viable. If you want proof of this you can check out the rows and rows of repossessed vehicles in warehouses unexpectedly leased by banks purposely to house them-but then that's another story.

Going back to the controversy between the TNVS operators and the government, Mr. Lantin said that he himself appreciates the alternative service that the TNVS offer "but they just have to cooperate and comply with certain government regulations and they should not just operate all by themselves, as if wala nang gobyerno."

We certainly hope that the controversy ends and the issues smoothened and agreed upon soonest.

As we mentioned here last week when we published the list of the Top 20 auto companies that rank as the highest-selling for the first half of 2017 based on the number of vehicles registered all over the country with the LTO (Land Transportation Office) as documented by Stradcom, its long-standing official IT provider, we give you now the list of the Top 3 selling models in each vehicle category under the Standard classification.

We hope to have the Top 3 models' list under the Premium/Luxury classification next week.

Pilipinas Taj Autogroup, Inc. , the official distributor in the Philippines of Tata Motors, the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India and among the Top 10 globally recently launched its newest commercial vehicle line up at the SMX Convention Center.

The rousing event, which was attended by India's Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Jaideep Mazumdar, Tata dealers and the motoring media saw the unveiling of theTata Prima range ofTractor Trailers and Tippers, the LPT range of Light, Medium and Heavy Trucks, SFC 407 and the Mini Trucks range of Ace and Super Ace.

During the well-attended event, which was kicked off with a media conference, Jon Fernandez, Jr., president of Pilipinas Taj Autogroup, Inc. remarked, "We are proud to partner with Tata Motors to offer customers with sturdy and reliable vehicles. We are looking forward to this new opportunity and are committed to catering to the commercial vehicle market with India's largest and most trusted automobile brand here in the Philippines. We will closely work with Tata Motors to ensure customers here get the finest vehicles and services, that not only match their requirements but also their business needs."

It was in 2014 when Tata Motors came to the country initially to bring in their passenger cars like the Indigo and the Manza. This time around they have declared that they are ready to get a share in the trucking sector offering commercial vehicles in uplifting the country's logistic and business trade market.

The presence of more industry players and a wider array of industrial vehicle models and types make the sector more exciting than ever with the consumers coming out as the bigger winners.

The recent opening of the Suzuki Auto SM Valenzuela Satellite aims to give existing and potential customers greater access to Suzuki Philippines' lineup of vehicles aside from increasing the efficiency in addressing the needs of customers in the area- Valenzuela City, a major economic and industrial center located north of Metro Manila characterized by a rising number of industries.

"Through this newest dealership, we are optimistic of establishing a stronger foothold in Valenzuela City's growing automotive market. We thank our dealer partners for the trust and support that made this expansion possible. With our common goal of enhancing the Filipino driving experience, we believe we will accomplish many more milestones this year," remarks Mr. Shuzo Hoshikura, Suzuki Philippines general manager for automobile.

The Suzuki Auto SM Valenzuela Satellite completes Suzuki's 26 satellite dealerships and the 62^nd dealership in the country.

Suzuki Philippines ' current vehicle line up includes the classic Jimny and Grand Vitara, the all-time favorites Swift, Celerio and Alto, the recently launched Euro 4-compliant Super Carry the top-selling Ciaz and the family favorite Ertiga.

Happy Motoring!!!

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