Foton Drums Up Nationalistic Fervor at PIMS with its Refreshed Lineup

Foton Philippines debuted an upgraded Thunder pickup and a new van variant amidst a nationalistic cacophony of mobility solutions.

The Chinese automaker drummed up upgrades of its Thunder double cab pickup. It now has a Php 1.35 million, six-speed automatic transmission (with manual mode) version, while retaining a 161 ps / 390 Nm 2.0-liter turbodiesel straight four.

Another example was an upgrade to its Transvan passenger van. The potential school bus and people hauler ditched its 2.8-liter turbodiesel straight four and five-speed manual gearbox. Shoehorned as a replacement was a 2.0-liter turbodiesel straight four derived from the abovementioned Thunder. The difference was that the Transvan's mill at PIMS toted 135 ps and 330 Nm, plus a six-speed stick shift.

Foton and its official Philippine distributor, United Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI), felt that the past two years were a downer for everyone. Hence, the Chinese light and heavy utility vehicle peddler decided to put a little sense of nationalism for its 2022 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) theme. Dancers dressed as blue-collar and white-collar rank-and-file folk mixed with a fiesta-level band to mark the theme.

"For over 15 years, we have been vital in addressing Philippine mobility solutions for the Philippine market. Even now [at PIMS], we provided a bridge to customers by expanding our technology in our commercial vehicle segments," said Foton Philippines president Errol Duenas.