‘Sss’-cintillating things to expect in the Year of the Wood Snake
It’s already 2025. I’d imagine last night, for sure, was a blast as wine, lechon, fruits, a barrage of noise and merrymaking filled up our New Year’s Eve.
As we turn a new leaf, this Year of the Wood Snake is said to bring in transformation, growth and introspection. If you thought 2024 was busy for the automotive industry, expect 2025 to be a lot busier. Rumor has it that there are lots of things to look forward to in our vast motoring realm. Particularly, here are some of the cars, technologies and innovations to get excited about this 2025.
More exciting offerings from BYD Philippines
It was a vehicle launch galore for the Chinese carmaker as it introduced four new vehicles in a span of five months during the latter part of 2024. For this year, expect several others more to be rolled out.
Moreover, an electrified midsize pickup under the marque is probably on the horizon. The BYD Shark 6 was specifically unveiled in Mexico early last year. In November of 2024, the workhorse made its ASEAN debut with the launch in Cambodia. Soon enough, expect that it will likewise land on our shores in the not-so-distant future.
New Isuzu Mu-X
During the 2024 Thailand International Motor Expo in November, a few of our colleagues were able to take a glimpse of the newest Isuzu Mu-X. It is said to feature a sportier look with black honeycombed grille, fender vents, newly-shaped LED daytime running lights and bar-type taillamps, capped by 20-inch more aggressive-looking alloy wheels.
Inside, it’s equipped with a larger multi-info display, redesigned seat cushions and new ambient lighting.
Back in Thailand, the Mu-X offers the new 2.2-L DDi turbodiesel ‘Maxforce’ engine under the RZ4F-TC. This succeeds the 1.9-liter RZ4E-TC BluePower powerplant. We don’t know for sure, however, if the same powertrain will also be offered for the Philippine market.
Electrified vehicles from Ford Philippines
Ford Philippines’ newly-appointed managing director, Pedro Simoes, announced during their thanksgiving party in December last year that other than redesigning their showrooms and building a technical center, they are also bringing in electrified vehicles–finally.
Although the head honcho did not divulge any specific model, yet. Here are probably some that might be up their sleeves. Since the Ford Ranger is the Blue Oval’s flagship model here in the country, it’s not far off to assume that they will be bringing in an electrified version of it. The Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), in particular, comes with a 2.3-L EcoBoost engine mated to an electric motor and an 11.8-kWh battery pack. Together, they produce 278hp and 690N-m of torque.
Another possibility is the full-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E which comes in two variants, the Premium and the GT.
The entry-level Premium churns out 293hp and has a range of 600km, while the top-of-the-line GT, with a pair of electric motors, produces 485hp and can do 490km.
Toyota full electric sports car
Since Toyota is big on its motorsports program, Gazoo Racing, it’s high time that the giant Japanese carmaker, the world’s number one automaker, introduce a green-powered speed monster straight out from its garage. The Toyota FT-Se was introduced as a concept vehicle at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show. It’s not before long that we will see a production version of this in the global market. If we’re lucky, we would probably see this late this year, or perhaps in early 2026. In the local market, it’s up to Toyota Motor Philippines to decide.
Ferrari’s first full electric supercar
Some of the new performance cars that the Prancing Horse is developing is its first electric supercar. This budding demigod is said to have two or four electric motors depending on configuration, producing over 1,000 horsepower. In the global market, it is expected to be priced starting at $500,000 or about P29M.
ADAS in entry-level models
There is a global movement of reducing road crash fatalities to a nil. Thus, carmakers are now building safety technologies, like the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) , to be available for all its vehicles, even those at the entry-level. So, expect more of this technology in cars being introduced this year. In fact, carmakers like Honda have started this already.
Greener cars
“Greener cars” doesn’t just mean those electrified vehicles already plying our roads. They can also be vehicles that are made from environmentally sustainable materials, such as bioplastics, composites and other recyclable items. These, in turn, lower carbon footprint in the process of making vehicles, as well as improve its energy consumption. Expect more of these kinds of vehicles from 2025 and beyond.
There are a lot more scintillating things worth mentioning to expect in this Year of the Wood Snake, like the new Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, new Chevrolet Corvette ZR 1 or the new BMW M2 CS, but, take note, these are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more to come as we move along. For now, let’s just take out our pen and paper as we start writing down on Day 1 of the new 365-day chapter of our motoring lives.
