AutoDeal Weekly News Recap Jan. 2-6: a rundown of the last 120 hours

For the last 120 hours, we‘ve published a number of automotive-related news from local and international. In case you were too excited starting your year right that you missed it, here is a rundown of some of the notable news since day 1 of January.

Local News

MMDA reveals route of 2017 Black Nazarene procession

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) released the official map of the Black Nazarene procession’s route happening on Monday, January 9. Through a tweet by MMDA, motorists are informed about how the procession will take its route from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church.

Moreover, the Manila City Hall declared January 9 as a non-working holiday in the city to give way for the annual observation of the Black Nazarene.

SUA issue on Mitsubishi Montero Sport deemed as a myth

Third-party investigator Horiba Mira deemed the sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) issue a myth after the Montero Sport passed negative to a suite of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) screening tests. The UK-based global vehicle research and testing facility said they found “no technical cause” in relation to SUA-related complaints.

Horiba Mira further explained that the SUA issue was a driver error, which caused by “mistakenly applying the accelerator, believing that they were pressing the brake pedal.”

Foreign News

Kia drops official images of all-new Picanto

Kia Motors Corporation has finally released the official images of the all-new Picanto subcompact hatchback, and the actual thing is not that far from the rendered version of the car. Furthermore, it retains the original compact dimensions with the wheelbase being extended by 15 mm, giving more leg room in the cabin.

However, details about the specs of the all-new Picanto were not announced and speculations could last until March 2017, which is when the Geneva International Motor Show will take place.

Ford, Toyota forms SmartDeviceLink Consortium

Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Company teams up to establish a nonprofit organization dedicated to working on open source platform for use of smartphone apps – SmartDeviceLink (SDL) Consortium. SDL enables voice command and in-vehicle displays to be used by consumers. On the other hand, Toyota is planning a telematics system commercialization using SDL sometime around 2018.

For more of the latest automotive news, visit the AutoDeal Blog section.