Born in the USA
The Philippines and the United States of America have a long and rather complex relationship that has withstood over a century of ups and downs.
The U.S. bought the Philippines from Spain in 1898 under the Treaty of Paris, somewhat eroding the over-three-century influence of the then-European superpower. Meanwhile, Clark Air Base and Naval Base Subic Bay gave America a substantial military presence in Southeast Asia, until politics and the eruption of Mount Pinatubo led to their closures in the early 1990s.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., relations with the U.S. have warmed considerably, even amid the highly controversial premiership of Donald Trump. Making headlines recently was the proposed imposition of 19-percent tariffs on Philippine-made products, while tariffs on U.S.-made products would drop to zero.
Although negotiations over this seemingly inequitable deal are still ongoing, Malacanang announced on Friday that only medicine, soy, wheat and cars from the USA will so far get zero tariffs – critical agricultural products like rice, corn, sugar, chicken, pork and fish are not included.
This would likely lead to hefty price cuts on models like the Ford Mustang, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Suburban and Chevrolet Corvette. We take a look at some other U.S.-made vehicles that could make serious headway if these are brought to our shores.
Ford Escape Hybrid
The Escape is a familiar name, having been sold by Ford Philippines throughout the 2000s.
The latest generation of this long-running crossover is made, among other places, in Louisville, Kentucky and directly competes with the Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. It also includes a hybrid-electric model that pairs a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor.
Combined output for the Escape Hybrid is a hearty 200 horsepower, while the plug-in variant with its 10.9-kWh battery pack offers 209 horsepower. Those looking for a compact crossover from the Land of the Free that is more premium than the already-impressive Territory may find their ideal ride with the Blue Oval.
Ford Expedition (and F-150)
Before we had the Toyota Fortuner and the Mitsubishi Montero Sport, one of the sport-utility vehicles (SUV) had been a local status symbol in 1990s was the Ford Expedition.
Despite having a colossal V8 engine that chugged unleaded like there was no tomorrow, this monstrous machine could easily carry an entire Filipino family (plus the yayas) with refinement and comfort that still remains to be beaten by the best SUVs from Asia, save perhaps the Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol.
The latest-generation Expedition made its global debut in October 2024 and is also manufactured in Ford’s Louisville plant. It now packs an updated, twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter, twin-cam, 24-valve EcoBoost V6 gasoline engine pumping out a hearty 400 horsepower and 651 Newton-meters of torque.
This mighty motor also powers the Expedition’s pick-up cousin, the F-150, which had been available for some time locally before it was pulled out of circulation (likely due to the steep price). Could the lifting of tariffs against the U.S. lead to the return of this huge family hauler and the king of all pick-ups?
Chevrolet Traverse
The majority of Chevrolet Philippines’ line-up as of press time comes from General Motors’ subsidiary in South Korea – these include the Tracker, Trailblazer and Trax.
But the three-row Chevrolet Traverse is made in Lansing, Michigan and is the direct rival to the Ford Explorer and the likewise U.S.-made Subaru Evoltis. All Traverse variants pack a turbocharged 2.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine producing 328 horsepower and 442 Newton-meters of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Some models are available with seven seats with second-row captain chairs or eight seats with a second-row bench. There’s even a Z71, off-road-oriented variant that includes higher ground clearance, a wider track, a skid plate and special 18-inch alloy wheel wrapped in all-terrain tires.
Can Chevrolet Philippines find new ground by bringing in the Traverse?
Chevrolet Colorado
The Colorado pick-up is one of the most memorable models from Chevrolet, which gained a strong local foothold in a segment dominated by Japanese marques.
Since the previous Colorado’s demise, we have yet to get our hands on any pick-up from the Bowtie brand. But this new tariff scheme could open the doors for the latest-generation Colorado, which debuted globally last July 2022 and is built in Wentzville, Missouri.
All models get a turbocharged 2.7-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine producing 310 horsepower and up to 583 Newton-meters of torque. Could the Colorado just be what Chevrolet needs to fight back against the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux?
