Despite the adversities, the Philippine automotive industry stayed afloat in 2021 with several new cars launched within the year. You can expect car brands to do the same for 2022.
While the beginning of the new year isn’t exactly the most ideal in terms of health, we pretty much can expect a number of car launches within the next 50 weeks. After all, what better way to stimulate car buyers than a shiny new model.
To give you a bigger picture of what’s to come, I’ve made a list of the upcoming new cars this 2022. There are confirmed launches, while there are some that are likely to arrive due to timing and other factors such as the age of the current model.
CONFIRMED
Fronting my list of confirmed launches this year is the all-new Kia Carnival. The minivan got a major revamp overseas over a year ago, so it’s high time that the Philippines gets the fourth-generation model. Kia Philippines hasn’t given an exact date for the launch but the company said that it will arrive at dealerships within the first quarter of 2022. Some dealerships are already accepting orders, with the sole SX variant having a sticker price of P2,988,000.
Geely Philippines has also confirmed the arrival of its contender in the subcompact sedan segment through a teaser. Believed to be called the Geely Emgrand sedan, several photos and videos have leaked online showing the model while sitting nicely in a warehouse. No timeline has been set but given the teasers, it’s likely that Geely will debut the model within the first three months of the year.
Next confirmed to arrive this year is the Ford Ranger. The next-generation model was revealed globally last year and the company itself has confirmed its arrival this year. Details of the local-spec Ranger is scarce at this point but we’re willing to wager that the new V6 turbodiesel engine will arrive with the top-spec model – more likely happening by the second quarter of 2022.
The Lotus Emira is also bound for the Philippines this year, as confirmed by its official distributor, the Autohub Group. The Emira is the last Lotus sports car to be powered by an internal combustion engine – a swan song before the automaker forays into electric mobility. Expect the Emira to arrive by the third quarter of 2022.
Another sports car to arrive this year is the Subaru BRZ with EyeSight. Underneath its new design, the new BRZ is now powered by a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter boxer engine that makes 228 hp and 249 Nm of torque. Motor Image honcho Glenn Tan confirmed its launch to the members of the media last year, scheduled to arrive at Subaru showrooms in April 2022.
Joining the BRZ are the pair of Subaru WRX sedan and wagon, which are bound to enter the Philippines by June 2022. Also revamped from the ground up, the rally-bred four-door and five-door are now powered by the same powertrain found on the Evoltis – the 2.4-liter turbo boxer engine with 256 hp and 350 Nm of torque and paired to a CVT.
The facelifted Subaru Forester is also arriving this year, which is expected to be equipped with the latest EyeSight 4.0 suite of safety features, initially available with the all-new Outback from last year.
The Toyota Raize caps off my list of vehicles to likely arrive this 2022. The rebadged Daihatsu Rocky is the Toyota’s contender in the budget small crossover segment where it will lock horns with the Kia Stonic, MG ZS, and Ford EcoSport, among others.
While Toyota Motor Philippines is yet to confirm the arrival of the Raize in the country, several leaks have already surfaced revealing the variant list, specs, and pricing, which are more likely revealed by dealers. The Raize prices will allegedly start at P746,000 and ceilings at P1,036,000, powered by either a naturally aspirated 1.2-liter or turbocharged 1.0-liter gasoline engines.
LIKELY
The Toyota Avanza kicks off my list of cars to likely arrive this year. The small MPV was given a major redo last year in Indonesia wherein we import our models from. Given the age of the current model, we’ll likely to see the new-generation model in 2022, which will arrive with a front-wheel-drive unibody and a continuously variable transmission.
Since there will be a new Subaru BRZ, expect its twin to come in as well, the Toyota GR 86. The 2+2 coupe will have the same powertrain as its star-spangled counterpart albeit with visual tweaks inside and out.
Other models expected to be brought in by Toyota Motor Philippines this year are the GR-badged Toyotas that came out in Indonesia and Thailand. The company has already beefed up the Fortuner, Hilux, and Vios with their respective GR-badged models in 2021, so it isn’t far-fetched to think that it will do the same for the rest of the line.
Since there’s a new Ford Ranger, a revamped Ford Everest is also bound to come in. The next-gen model has yet to be revealed globally but the Blue Oval has already put out teasers to announce its arrival. Reports say that the Everest will be launched globally in February 2022. If the timeline and demand permit, we could be getting the new-generation SUV towards the end of the year.
Another likely new car to arrive in 2022 is the facelifted Mitsubishi Xpander. The restyled MPV gets an updated front and rear fascia, along with minor tweaks in the cabin. Given the popularity of the model, we expect Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation to expedite its arrival to increase its sales further. Mitsubishi will start exporting the facelifted model to Thailand this January, so we can expect its arrival in the Philippines around the first half of 2022.
MMPC could also bring in the Montero Sport and Strada Ralliart Editions this year. The two Ralliart-styled models were launched in Thailand last year and given that there isn’t any major update to the locally available versions – and the fact that we’ve confirmed its arrival on local shores from an insider source – we can expect MMPC to spruce up its lineup a little with these Ralliart-badged models.
Honda won’t be missing this chance to stir the pot in the coveted 7-seater segment. The Honda BR-V gets a new generation model in Indonesia last year, so we can expect the automaker to bring in the model this year. It’s about time since the current model has been essentially unchanged since its launch in 2016.
Another Honda expected to get a major change in the Philippines is the Honda HR-V. Thailand already gets the updated model, so we can expect its arrival in the Philippines sooner or later. However, powertrain options remain a mystery at this point since Thai models are bound to get the hybrid version only. However, given the Filipinos’ aversion to hybrids, I’m not counting on that, but let’s wait and see.
Most small hatchbacks currently in the market right now have been updated, sans the Suzuki Celerio. And for that, Suzuki Philippines will reportedly launch the third-generation model within the first quarter of 2021. The all-new model was launched in India last year and it seems like the Japanese company is ready to bring in the latest model here, along with the facelifted Suzuki Swift.