Turbo Zone

We’ve seen the facelifted version of the Ford Focus, but this may just be more interesting – new details are starting to emerge about the Focus RS.

According to Sweden’s Auto Motor and Sport, the high-performance model will likely eschew the Geneva and Paris Auto Show and be launched in 2015.

Power will reportedly be provided by a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. It produces approximately 305 bhp (227 kW) in the 2015 Mustang but could be tuned to develop roughly 330 bhp (246 kW) in the Focus RS.

Little else is known about the model but previous reports have indicated it could be available exclusively as a five-door hatchback with front-wheel-drive. We can also expect a sport-tuned suspension, high-performance brakes and a limited slip differential.

Let’s cross our fingers and hope Ford PH brings in the RS model, for both Fiesta and Focus.

For a brand that has churned out one successful vehicle after another worldwide, it seems impossible for Toyota to have one car with lagging sales (but then, perhaps “low” for them is some other brand’s “high”).

For all the good press that the Toyota GT 86 is getting, Toyota Europe Vice President of R&D Gerald Killmann claims that it is selling well below target in its major markets.

Since the 86 was introduced, every carshow was filled with them and we’re talking major shows here like Tokyo Auto Salon and SEMA. Even the after-market has taken notice of this model and started producing all sorts of items for the car like body kits, suspension and engine upgrades.

This puts Toyota in a tough spot because the lagging sales are clearly an indicator that European consumers simply are not satisfied with the GT 86 the way it is. Adding in more special editions or even bumping its performance would likely bring the sales numbers up. On the other hand, that would be a huge gamble, as the slow base-level sales makes it economically tough for Toyota to invest more money in building an open-top or turbocharged variant.

So what should Toyota do? Should it leave the GT 86 as is and allow it to fizzle away into nothingness a la the MR2 of the 2000s, or should it give enthusiasts what they want by chopping the top and dropping in some forced induction?

Maybe Toyota is just expecting too much from the 86. Since Subaru is already working on the STi version for their BRZ, Toyota should start considering a “high-performance variant” as well. Use their partnership with BMW and slap on an M3 engine on the 86! After all, the drifting world has gone crazy with the 86 and started using American V8’s.

What do you think, mga Kapuso?

As Filipino Catholics flocked to their various churches yesterday, did priests just take a brief break from giving sermons to talk about traffic regulations?

Father Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action, yesterday appealed for priests to be exempted from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, in order to serve their flock better.

Father Gariguez emphasized the priests’ need to be mobile, which will be made difficult by the impending “car-mageddon,” which is expected to result to more traffic congestion.

Under the UVRP, also known as number coding and color coding, vehicles with license numbers ending with a certain digit are prohibited from using major roads on specific days of the week. The program allows certain exemptions for “vehicles used by medical practitioners in an emergency” and those carrying people in need of immediate medical assistance.

The priest noted that the exemption should be extended to them, like what is being done for doctors.

What do you think, Kapuso? Should priests be saved from hell otherwise known as urban traffic? — with report from GMA News

They say money can’t buy class. Well, for luxury carmaker Bentley, a little effort goes a long way as they aim to teach their customers how to live the “Bentley Life” — how to use and where to take their luxury cruisers so they won’t be spotted in places which might degrade the image of the “Flying B”.

When you buy into a company like Bentley you’re buying into a little more exclusivity than you get from many marques. Where one manufacturer might offer cheap branded merchandise alongside its vehicles, Bentley is going one better and offering customers and driving enthusiasts alike a series of ‘Grand Touring with Bentley’ holiday packages, traveling bespoke routes around the world on Bentley-themed luxury breaks. These routes take in some of the great drives in countries like the U.S, Great Britain, Italy and France, and others will be added in due course.

‘Secret Britain’ is the first of these tours, beginning with fine dining and hospitality in London before heading into the picturesque Cotswolds and on to Bentley’s facility at Crewe, with a private lunch afterward at Bentley Mews. ‘Guest of Chanel’ takes on a French route, aiming showcase the best of French culture, fashion, cuisine and hospitality inspired by the famous French fashion house. Vineyard tours and a trip into Paris, including a look at Coco Chanel’s private apartment, conclude the tour.

‘Italian Legend’ takes its inspiration from the Mille Miglia road race in Italy, and in particular, Stirling Moss’s famous victory at the race in 1955. The Bentley-devised route carefully follows that of the original road race with stop-overs in fine hotels and guided tours around some of Italy’s most famous monuments, including the Coliseum and the Sistene Chapel. The ‘Luxury of Spontaneity’ driving series is a more freeform take on the luxury break theme, with routes including a 130-mile tour around the Mediterranean island of Mallorca and a 745-mile trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Other drives in Oman, Australia, Malaysia, Scotland and Canada will join the roster soon.

The tours aren’t cheap–listed in U.K. prices, the Italian Legend tour will set you back over $7,400 per person based on two people sharing a room and ‘Guest of Chanel’ is over $16,000 for a couple.

And now we wonder — will PGA Cars, the local distributor of Bentley, follow the same route?

The government seems really bent on changing the landscape of the Philippine roads.

After announcing a series of construction including that of Skyway, a report surfaced that the new license plates will be implemented. If this story sounds familiar, you are not mistaken – it was already announced previously but was delayed due to technical problems.

But now, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said the new series of license plates will be issued starting June or July this year. To refresh everyone’s memory, this is not only for aesthetic purposes, but to impose safety features to benefit motorists, motorcyclists and public utility vehicle drivers.

License plates for motor vehicles will now have three control letters and four digits such as LTO-1234, while motorcycle plates will have two control letters and five digits such as AA-12345. Plates for public utility vehicles will have three control letters and four digits plus their routes.

The new plates will also have safety features such as a laser-engraved logo at the back of the plate, and a bar code to check if the plates match vehicles they are assigned to. LTO head Virginia Torres said one major security feature is a plate lock that renders the license plate unusable if one tries to forcibly remove it.

As to the reality of having this implemented (finally), LTO said it has started the process of sending invitations to bid to prospective manufacturers. If this will reach the June/July deadline – barely two or three months from now – that’s what we’ll find out soon.

Covered by the new series of license plates are some 7.7 million registered vehicles in the country. Fifty three percent of these are motorcycles.

Do you think changing the license plates is timely, considering the ongoing developments on the road? Share with us your thoughts, mga Kapuso. – with reports from GMA News