Lexus is harnessing the power of three (rows) when it unveiled a 7 (or 6)-seater version of its best-selling RX mid-sized crossover at the 2017 LA Auto Show.

In a bid to increase its US market share, Subaru has developed a three-row SUV called the Ascent. After being teased as a concept last April, the production version has finally bowed in at the LA Auto Show. The largest Subaru ever made features all of the brand’s core technologies such as a horizontally-opposed Boxer engine, Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, and EyeSight Driver Assist Technology wrapped in a generous body that seats 7 or 8 depending on the configuration.

Mazda’s direction towards a more premium image continues with the unveil of the 2018 Mazda6 at the 2017 LA Auto Show. Yet another refresh of the existing model that’s been in the market since 2013, the newest iteration brings forth “Mature Elegance” for Mazda’s executive sedan.

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), introduces a refreshed Odyssey premium MPV for 2018. Featuring a tweaked exterior styling and added convenience features, it aims to further satisfy the Filipino customer’s needs for luxurious and comfortable mobility.

Gear up for your holiday drive with up to 65 percent off on selected tires at the Great Goodyear Sale, happening in select Goodyear Autocare Outlets from today until December 31, 2017.

With a reputation centered around long-term durability and longevity, the country’s exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles is on the hunt for the country’s “Most Seasoned Subaru.” From today until January 31, 2018, Motor Image Pilipinas is looking for the car that ultimately shows the superior quality and build of Subaru.

EDITOR’S NOTE (2): We simulate the prices of 42 vehicles under the final bicameral version of the TRAIN bill. Read it here. (12/14/2017).

EDITOR’S NOTE (1): The House of Representatives and Senate have agreed on a compromised version of the new vehicle excise tax which excludes pick-up trucks and EVs. See the story here (12/12/2017).

The Rappler reports that The Philippine Senate has approved on the third and final reading the proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Bill which reduces the personal income tax but raises the excise tax on items such as new car purchases and fuel.

The Car Awards Group, Inc., the organization made of around 50 motoring journalists and bloggers has finally revealed the 2017 Car of the Year – Philippines and 2017 Truck of the Year – Philippines.

Volkswagen Philippines, the exclusive importer and distributor of the country’s bestselling European car brand, has chosen the first weekend of December (December 2 and 3) as the best time to buy a Volkswagen.

The King of the ‘Ring is finally in the hands of their owners. After months of waiting for their units to arrive and be prepped for release, the first batch of Civic Type Rs has finally been turned over.

When the original Suzuki Vitara first appeared in the market close to 30 years ago, people bought one mainly as a fashion accessory, despite it being a genuinely capable off-roader. In the three decades and two Vitara generations that followed, Suzuki continuously shifted towards family-oriented buyers who wanted a utilitarian edge. The latest one, the fourth-generation Vitara, completes that transformation. Chucking what’s left of its off-road credentials out the window, the all-new Vitara is now a purely urban, on-road sub-compact crossover. And that’s all for the better.

Car enthusiasts may now have a reason to head to the post office. In a Philippine STAR report, the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) will start issuing stamps featuring the official cars of previous presidents.

When creating a new car color, designers have to look at a diverse range of societies and predict how changing moods will affect color preferences. The designers then combine that with knowledge of how trends in design disciplines are changing to create colors that look on-trend, nearly half a decade after they were developed.

Jaguar Land Rover Asia Pacific Importers signed on a new partner for its premium brands in the Philippines effective immediately. Its two brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, will now be imported and distributed by Coventry Motors Corporation.

Caltex, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), is making sure customers will have a chance to win instant prizes each time they gas up in card-accepting Caltex stations nationwide through its Caltex Fill Up with Chow promo.

NISMO, Nissan’s performance and motorsports division has announced that they’re rolling out replacement parts for some “heritage models.” This comes as great news to owners in Japan (and those lucky enough to have sources from there).

MINI Philippines is giving selected owners a special treat this Holiday season by slashing the prices of their Engine Oil Bundle as well as Original Accessories and Lifestyle items from today until December 28, 2017.

Last year, the Department of Energy (DOE) in cooperation with Petron held the first-ever Euro 4 fuel economy run in the country. Supposedly a dry run for the DOE’s efforts for a standardized fuel economy benchmark (surprise: there’s still none), 70 vehicles were driven at midnight on a mostly empty highway course. This year, the DOE held another fuel economy run (the 13th such event) with 55 vehicles present. They threw away the guise of creating a standardized benchmark and highlighted instead its consumer-focused “E-Power Mo” campaign which aims to highlight efficiency as a main factor in purchasing a vehicle.

Small crossover buyers will be pleased to know that Mazda Philippines has launched its upgraded CX-3 premium sub-compact SUV for the 2018 model year. Launched at the Jinba-Ittai Academy event, the 2018 CX-3 packs subtle changes that increase its value quotient. It also removes one feature that’s going to be considered as a blessing by many.

Motor Image Pilipinas, the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the country is ushering in the year-end festivities with irresistible deals for all variants of its best-selling Subaru Forester compact SUV.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines, has 3,266-unit sales for October 2017, a 33 percent year-on-year growth from 2,462 units in 2016. This made an impact to the 2017 January to October YTD sales of 30,717 units, a 12 percent growth from last year’s sales of 27,483 units.

For more than half a century, motor racing has drawn crowds in Japan. But for motorsports fans, one grand prix stands out: the 1964 meeting at Suzuka.

Employees of Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer of Caltex fuels and lubricants, shed their office suits and shared their culture of safety and excellence with their host communities during the recent Week of Caring 2017.

Ford Philippines, together with Gawad Kalinga and Ford Cabanatuan under the Laus Auto Group, recently opened two (2) new communal water facilities in Nueva Ecija as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts to help build a better world.

Vantage. An evocative name for a magnificent bloodline of thoroughbred sports cars. For seven decades the heartbeat of Aston Martin’s purest models, the Vantage nameplate has been worn by some true icons. That formidable sporting dynasty is poised to hit new heights with the introduction of the new 2019 Vantage.

Recently, Takahiro Kobayakawa from Mazda’s Brand Strategy Department in charge of Global Sales and Marketing was in town to discuss about the possibilities of bringing the MX-5 Global Cup into the Philippines. Koby-san, as he’s called, has been with Mazda for 18 years now. And while he’s most recently responsible for the fourth-generation MX-5’s development (particularly in terms of marketability and serviceability), one part of his CV stood out: Mazdaspeed.

To further improve local operations and continue its commitment to manufacture quality automobiles, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) has invested around P 360 million on additional land and constructed its own container yard and material handling operations (MHO) warehouse. This increases the total land area of its Santa Rosa plant from 21 hectares to around 23 hectares and building area from 83,000 square-meters to 120,500 square-meters.

Volvo has signed a framework agreement with Uber, the ride sharing company, to sell tens of thousands of autonomous driving compatible base vehicles between 2019 and 2021.

Compact sedans and executive sedans are dying because of one single reason: the compact SUV or crossover segment. Today’s crossovers can now match up with sedans when it comes to refinement, driving manners, and fuel economy while giving heaps of cargo capacity. People see them as truly multipurpose—the one vehicle that fulfills a wide variety of needs for everyone in the family. And among all the choices available out there, the one that fits that bill the best is now the 2018 Honda CR-V SX.

Hino Motors Philippines (HMP), the exclusive distributor of Hino trucks and buses in the Philippines, with the assistance of Hino Davao recently completed two mobile kitchens for the Davao City government.

For 100 years, Chevrolet has relentlessly built legendary, strong, and dependable trucks that are made for work and play. From the first production Chevy 1918 One-Ton to the redesigned Chevrolet Colorado, the same DNA has been carried through each Chevrolet truck: power, dependability, durability, and quality.

I don’t care what other critics say: the new Justice League was great. With the reputation of DC-inspired movies to be dark, brooding, and somewhat tragic, it was (pleasantly) surprising to encounter a lighter and more entertaining story line; an influence from Joss Whedon’s decision to do last-minute re-shoots after Zack Snyder pulled out of the project due to personal reasons.

If you’re not one of the few lucky ones who were “privileged enough” to own a Ford GT, there may be another chance to own Ford’s supercar. And this time, it fits right on your wrist. Ford teamed up with Autodromo, a watchmaker that specializes in automotive-themed watches to create two lines inspired by the GT and GT40.

Quick: what’s the most raced brand America’s grassroots racing scene? If you’re thinking Toyota, Nissan, or Subaru, then you’re wrong. It’s Mazda. According to 2015 figures of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), Mazda is the preferred brand by grassroots racers a whopping 55 percent of the time (it’s closer to 60 percent now); and at the cornerstone of all that is the MX-5.

Chevrolet just introduced the 2019 Corvette ZR1, a supercar that pushes Corvette’s performance legacy with the highest power, greatest track performance, and most advanced technology in its production history.

Volvo Philippines, the official and authorized dealer and distributor of the Swedish premium car brand Volvo, graciously hosted this year’s second assembly of the various Swedish companies in the Philippines.

The 46th activation of Volkswagen Philippines’ Child Safety Initiative (CSI) was held at Ayala Malls the 30th last November 4 and 5 and with that, the local campaign of the German carmaker reached a landmark of 10,000 child participants.

With 420 cars in contention, women have voted the Hyundai Ioniq as their World Car of the Year this 2017.

Polestar, Volvo’s new performance brand has revealed the first of three high-performance models, the Polestar 1. Built at a purpose-built facility in China, it will start production in the middle of 2019. It delivers 600 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque thanks to its 4-cylinder Volvo Drive-E powertrain.

Sony is putting self-driving cars on the path of reality thanks to a new development in digital imaging technology. Specifically made for automotive applications such as forward-sensing cameras, the Sony IMX324 features a new CMOS sensor that bumps up the resolution to 7.42 effective megapixels—the highest currently in the industry.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo exchanged pleasantries with South Korean President Moon Jae-In at the ASEAN Business & Investments Summit (ABIS) 2017. Ms. Agudo, a panelist at the ABIS forum, “Unleashing Women Economic Power and Human Capital Development (Investing in Education, Global Competencies, Women and Affirmative Action),” echoed President Moon’s keynote message on co-prosperity and unleashing the potential of all.

Christmas comes early if you’re in the market for a new Subaru, specifically the Legacy executive sedan. Motor Image Pilipinas, the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles is making the Legacy 2.5i-S even more enticing with deals throughout this November.

God bless this Lamborghini. Seems Pope Francis is continuing his charitable ways after receiving this one-of-a-kind Huracán RWD supercar.

I wish I could say everything is running like clockwork with my long-term test 2017 Mazda3 Speed, I really do. In truth, six months after taking delivery, the overall experience has still been fairly positive, but it’s not without its share of problems.

Mazda is set to present yet another update for its executive sedan, the Mazda6. Set to be unveiled globally at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 29, the re-designed Mazda6 is getting enhanced aesthetics and more grunt thanks to a turbocharged engine.

Ever wonder how often the average car door is closed in 10 years? About 45,000 times. Many of those closures can harder than your average slam.

HARI Foundation, Inc. (HFI), the social corporate responsibility (CSR) arm of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), in partnership with the Institute for Global Education Exchange and Internship, Inc. (IGEEI) held a conference with delegates to the Youth Policy and Action Project, a European Commission-funded initiative that aims to promote strategic cooperation among youth organizations, government, and private bodies in the area of youth policy making.

After previewing it last August, MiLi just launched the limited edition Scuderia Ferrari Collection just in time for the brand’s 70th anniversary.

There’s a lot to love with the Isuzu mu-X. Compared to its other PPV (Pickup-based Passenger Vehicle) competitors, it’s largely unpretentious, but still very capable. Its no-frills, honest-to-goodness, all-practical attitude makes it a great 7-seater family SUV—one you’re proud to recommend to your family and friends. Still, pressured by increased competition, Isuzu has brought to table some improvements for 2018, some of which are designed specifically to make it a more attractive prospect to more buyers.

Mazda’s trademark vehicle design and engineering philosophy which literally translates to horse-and-rider-as-one, is set to be the highlight of the first ever Jinba Ittai Academy public test drive activity happening this November 23 to 26, 2017 at the corner of 38th and 9th streets, near Uptown Mall at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.