CARS AND GUNS
2011 Manila Auto Salon (MAS) Race Queen Cathy Chan poses with a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser that’s owned by Dr. Gs Car Clinic, which bagged the Best of Show award at last year’s edition of MAS. This year, the 6th MAS will be held alongside the 20th Defense & Sporting Arms Show on November 29 to December 2 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia. PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome will be the guest-of-honor at the gun show opening ceremonies. MAS will follow immediately afterward.

KIA TO HOLD ROAD SHOW, RAFFLE OFF AUSTRALIA TRIP
TO support the upcoming 2013 Australian Open, Columbian Autocar Corp. (CAC), exclusive distributor of Kia vehicles in the Philippines, announced it would hold the Kia On Tour (KOT) road show and the Kia Lucky Drive to Australia (KLDTA).

The KLDTA will start on November 8 during the opening of the Auto Focus Motor Show and Auto Expo and at the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Tennis Open on November 10. In the promo, customers can test drive any Kia vehicle available, which will earn them a raffle coupon for a chance to win a trip for two to the 2013 Australian Open in Melbourne. The winner will be drawn on December 9 at the PCA clubhouse.

From its launch at the Auto Focus show, CAC said the KLDTA will also be part of the KOT road shows in different parts of the country where customers can test-drive Kia vehicles. Exclusive Kia merchandise can also be won at the shows, as well as raffle entries to the KLDTA.

MICHELIN GIVES CASH VOUCHERS WITH TIRE PURCHASE
MICHELIN said all its dealers in the country are giving motorists free cash vouchers when they purchase two Michelin tires.

The company explained that any single-receipt purchase of two Michelin passenger car or light truck tires of the same pattern and tire size within the promo period entitles the consumer to receive a Sodexo cash voucher worth P1,000. The promo runs until November 15.

For more information, customers in Luzon may call Tiara Commercial and Industrial Corp. at 813-2548, 813-2786 and 0918-8427201; Primex Trade Sales, Inc. in Cebu at (032) 254-8490, Iloilo at (033) 320-9344 and Bacolod at (034) 434-5408; and Transway Sales Corp. in Davao at (082) 227-4355 and in Cagayan de Oro at (08822) 735565. You may also log on to www.michelin.com.ph.

CALTEX STARTS SOCIAL PROGRAM FOR SMOKEY MOUNTAIN
CALTEX announced it had launched its latest social investment initiative, Driving Change with Caltex, at Smokey Mountain, a former dumpsite in Manila.

The project targets to help children in Smokey Mountain to excel in football by building a world-class field, sustained by a comprehensive sports program that is backed by various charitable organizations, Caltex said. It noted that Driving Change with Caltex is its latest reality community project show that’s held in partnership with Fox International Channels.

Driving Change with Caltex will be hosted by presenter/model Henry Golding, who will be paired with local celebrity Marc Nelson. The two will try to find 2,000 items of sports equipment—one for each child of Smokey Mountain—to build the “Field of Dreams” football field and organize a celebrity football match in less than three days. Volunteers from the community Chevron Phils Inc. (CPI), the marketer of Caltex fuels and lubricants, will participate in the project.

“The Caltex Star stands for quality, value and service, and similarly we believe in giving back to the communities we do business in through meaningful social investment initiatives focused on education, training and skill-building,” said CPI Country Chairman Jim Meynink.

For more information, log on to www.drivingchangewithcaltex.com, Facebook.com/drivingchangewithcaltex or Twitter’s Caltex4Change.

R&E TAXI SIGNS UP FOR GRAB-A-CAB DISPATCHING SYSTEM
R&E Taxi said it had recently acquired the latest technology for their units as it upgrades to Digital Dispatching System (DDS) GPS-based software. The system, called Grab-A-Cab, is operated by the Philippine Taxi Dispatching System Inc. (PTDSI).

R&E Taxi also owns Nine Stars, EFE Transport and Sturdy taxi companies.

The company explained that DDS uses a seven-inch, touch-screen monitor that provides information on the location of a taxi, mileage covered, and the maximum speed a unit has been driven at. Through the system, a customer can call the taxi company and will be asked to give his or her location, and means of identification. The information will then be announced to taxi units that are within a kilometer away.

R&E Taxi said it had purchased and is already trying out 400 dispatching devices.

“This vehicle dispatching device will be a great alternative to the radio system and will be the first of its kind in the country,” said PTDSI Managing Director Dennis Ng. “It would be better because the reaction to the customer is faster and safer.”