All the Sleek, Eye-Popping New Vehicles You Missed at MIAS 2023
The Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) wrapped up Sunday (April 16) after four days of eye-popping exhibitions and launches. The local auto industry’s top personalities, car enthusiasts, members of the media, hundreds of independent creative content creators covering and attending the event joined thousands of motoring enthusiasts at the 18th edition of the country’s biggest annual motoring event at the World Trade Center.
For close to two decades now, the MIAS has been seen as a microcosm of the Philippine auto industry, reflecting automotive trends and providing visitors with an all-in-one-roof showcase of some of the country’s best car brands for those who are shopping for a new vehicle or even just dreaming to own one for now.
Ford left us hanging with this new Ranger Raptor
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This year’s show saw the emergence of even more hybrid and electric vehicles being introduced to the local market.
Exciting launches
Among the show’s highlights were the new model debuts introduced by the car brands. Ford previewed the second-generation Territory and the new Ranger Raptor, which the brand teased by hanging it on a 45-degree ramp without any literature or graphics to explain the product. The new Raptor is an exciting addition to Ford’s pickup collection.
The Peugeot e-2008
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Peugeot debuted the e-2008 EV SUV, while Subaru introduced its 2023 refreshed Evoltis 7-seater SUV, the biggest vehicle in its lineup.
Hyundai, meanwhile, made a big splash with the unveiling of its Ioniq 6, which was awarded “World Car of the Year” recently.
Nissan advocated its e-Power technology led by the Kicks, while Mitsubishi celebrated the 60th anniversary of continuous presence in the country with a tribute model of the Strada pickup that won the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally—considered the most grueling endurance race in Asia. The Japanese brand also highlighted two of its rally-bred models: the Pajero and the Lancer by showcasing a classic second generation Pajero and Lancer boxtype GT sedan in its corner space, both in pristine condition.
What is also interesting this year are the Chinese car companies bringing in their A-Game in the auto industry. Nine car brands including BYD, Changan, Chery, Foton, GAC, Geely, Great Wall, Jetour, and MG gave all-out presentations of their local lineup, bringing more diversity to the mix of car brands in the market, which has been previously dominated by Japanese, Korean, American and European brands. The build quality and fit-and-finish of these vehicles have improved a lot.
The Subaru Evoltis
Among the stars of this year’s MIAS are the new models of BYD, the new hybrid SUVs of Chery, the electric vehicle truck of Foton, the new Emkoo model of GAC, Geely’s new GX3 Pro, the introduction of Great Wall’s new models, MG’s new MG GT sport sedan and ZS Night Edition.
GAC unveiled the Emkoo at the MIAS
Jetour made a grand entrance with a “Cirque de Soleil” style presentation of its all-new models including the flagship model Dashing, X70 (and X& Sport) and the lovable Ice Cream EV model, touted as the most affordable EV in the market—priced for less than P1 million pesos.
Changan teased the motoring public by bringing in the futuristic looking Unit-T and Unit-K crossovers that looked more like concept cars than roadgoing cars.
Aside from showing off brand new models, and unlike other auto shows, MIAS also showed diversity by showcasing classic and customized cars, fueling the interest of car aficionados by honoring the rich automotive heritage of classic models and celebrating the artisan skills of restorers and car customizers of the Filipino craftsman.
For the outdoor loving motorists, we’re also seeing a growing trend of car owners spending a lot of money investing in overlanding 4x4 SUVs and pickups equipped with nearly everything you need for serious camping adventures.
Classic cars were also on display at the MIAS
Crowd favorites
Among the crowd favorites were Ford’s new generation Territory, one of the brand’s bestselling nameplates. The previous generation model was introduced just three years ago and quickly became one of the top-selling labels for the brand. We believe the all-new Territory will enjoy the same success too. It comes in two variants, the Titanium and Titanium X, priced at P1.335 million and P1.599 million respectively. Both come with Ford’s five-year warranty.
Hyundai’s Ioniq 6, which won the World Car of the Year Award recently was also another favorite. Its futuristic looks with a promise of clean alternative energy electric vehicle is something to save up for, especially for those who want to save the planet in style.
Hyundai unveiled its Ioniq 6 at MIAS
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Among the Chinese brands, the Ice Cream EV, priced at just P599,000, earned the hearts of younger buyers who are looking for a cool battery-powered electric vehicle for their urban commute.
Another cool car from the mainland is the Emkoo from GAC Motors. Orders started coming in as soon as it was unveiled at the MIAS and according to the brand, deliveries will come as early as May.
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A new record for MIAS
This year’s MIAS ended with a new record-breaking visitor count according to organizers.
“We are pleased to announce that the total visitor count for the 2023 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) that transpired last weekend from April 13 to 16 was over 149,000,” said Jill Ang, managing director of Worldbex Services International, which organized MIAS. “This means that we reached a new record, up by 24 percent from last year’s visitor count of 120,000 and by about five percent from our previous record high of 142,000 visitors in 2019. We attribute this to the growing demand for new vehicles this year and the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Most importantly, we also attribute the show’s success to the support of the automotive industry making our 18th edition of the MIAS a wonderful success.”
