The Ford Ranger continued to be a bright spot for the American carmaker as the nameplate achieved all-time record sales in the Asia-Pacific region last year—its tenth consecutive year—with retail sales climbing 5 percent to 139,501 units.

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, the world’s leading automotive alliance, today that its member companies sold a combined total of 10,756,875 units in the 12 months to December 31, 2018. The Alliance maintained its position as the world leader in volume sales of passenger and light commercial vehicles.

UPDATE: We also included the brochure below (02/04).

There’s a different kind of Korean war brewing and that involves two recently launched sub-compact sedans to hit the Philippine market. Less than 12 hours after Kia Philippines unveiled the Soluto, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., fired back and introduced the Reina.

Under its new distributor AC Industrials, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayala Corporation, Kia unboxed the first of three all-new vehicles slated to hit the Philippine market in 2019. The Kia Soluto—a sub-compact sedan exported from Kia’s joint-venture with Dongfeng will see battle in the sub-B-segment category with a starting price of just P 625,000.

As the Philippine automotive industry stumbled 15 percent in 2018 due to a perfect storm of rising inflation, higher fuel prices, and the implementation of the revised excise tax on new vehicles, Nissan Philippines managed to see sales rise 40 percent last year—the only manufacturer to exhibit a double-digit sales growth.

The SUVification of Mitsubishi continues with the announcement of their newest concept crossover that promises to “carve up its own niche.”

HARI Foundation, Inc. (HFI) Chairman Richard L. Lee paid tribute to his Lasallian roots and affirmed his personal advocacy for innovation in the sciences with the launch of the Richard L. Lee Engineering and Technology Block.

After a strong 2018, Nissan celebrated the start of the new year by reaffirming the brand’s position as one of the leaders in the automotive industry.

JM Far East Inc., the Philippine exclusive distributor of Falken Tires, has launched the newest range of Falken high-performance and all-terrain Tires: the Wildpeak M/T 01, Wildpeak A/T3W, and Azenis FK510-SUV.

The Overland Xpo is all set for its 3rd installment this February 2 to 4, 2019 with over 100 4x4 vehicles joining. The Overland Xpo, organized by Overland Philippines, will be held at the heart of Zambales.

From betting on hybrids to betting on pure electrics. Toyota has announced that it is entering into a joint-venture with Panasonic to establish a new company that will be making batteries for next-generation electric vehicles or EVs.

UPDATE: Check out the launch story and full specs here (01/31).

It looks like Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. or HARI is about to throw a spanner into Kia Philippines’s much-anticipated car launch. Just today, HARI started teasing a new vehicle which will drop in on January 31, 2019—a day after Kia Philippines’s brand re-launch.

In recent years, there has been a steady growth in the subcompact and compact crossover category. The potential is real, with brands like Subaru coming out with the XV, Mazda introducing the CX-3, and even Jeep coveting a piece of the pie with the Renegade. One of the first players in this segment, Honda saw to it that the HR-V gets updated for 2019 with this one: the sportier-looking 1.8 RS CVT. And spending more than a week with it, it’s clear that the HR-V still has what it takes to standout of this crowded segment.

So the all-new 2019 Subaru Forester just dropped into Philippine shores and what’s the first collective reaction: where’s the turbo? Granted the first-ever Forester underpinned by the Subaru Global Platform performs amicably on everyday road conditions, there are still some who say, “It ain’t a proper Subaru without a turbo.”

The big nose trend over at BMW has begun. After the giant schnoz debuted on the X7 SUV, the same treatment can now be seen in their flagship 7 Series luxury sedan. Look beyond that unsightly fascia though, and BMW promises better luxury and more tech than ever before.

Many responded to the challenge, but only a few made it to the top. And for those who did, Isuzu Philippines Corporation has rewarded their skills, and efforts, with a well-deserved overseas trip.

The French car industry may not be as big as the ones from the U.S., Japan, Germany, or China, but they sure are proud of what they do.

After previewing it last December, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., the exclusive distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines has finally dropped the prices of its all-new 2019 Accent sub-compact sedan.

On its 85th anniversary, Petron Corporation, the country’s number one oil company continued to uphold its commitment to ensuring the sustainability of the communities it serves.

Honda has confirmed that the global premiere of its new electric vehicle will be made at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Disgraced former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn was forced to resign at Renault in the wake of a financial scandal that has rocked the automotive industry. In turn, Renault has appointed Michelin boss Jean-Dominique Senard as its new chairman.

In the past five years, global battery-only electric vehicle (EV) sales have increased 23-fold, with 37 percent of South East Asian consumers now considering EVs for their next vehicle purchase. To actively support this growing demand for information on EVs, Nissan launched its first education video series to bust myths and bring more awareness around electric vehicles.

Toyota Motor Philippines revealed its annual performance and formally announced their major marketing efforts for 2019 at their media thanksgiving party.

With Subaru Philippines’s distributor, Motor Image pricing the all-new 2019 Forester so aggressively, it’s inevitable that at one point, parking lots will be filled with them (especially in Crystal White Pearl). So what’s an owner going to do to stand out? Why, dig into the Forester’s thick accessories catalog, of course!

With fresh competition in the form of the all-new 2019 Subaru Forester, Bermaz Auto Philippines, the official distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country decided to slash the price off the all-wheel drive-equipped variants of the CX-5 compact crossover.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) officially unveils the New 2019 Strada two months after its global premiere in Bangkok, Thailand and a week after we got hold of its specs and prices.

The BAIC BJ20 is already one compact crossover that looks like it’s built to go against carmageddon. Well, leave it to the folks at Bayan Auto, the official distributor of BAIC automobiles in the country, to go one step further and make it look like it’ll survive the zombie apocalypse.

In the recently released joint year-end sales report of the Truck Manufacturers’ Association (TMA) and the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) for 2018, Isuzu emerged as the top-selling brand in the light duty truck (Category 3) segment, with total unit sales of 3,965 from January to December 2018, capturing 55.5 percent of the market share in that category.

Do what the Romans, or in this case, the Germans do. After the other luxury car brands started the year with heavy discounting, Jaguar Land Rover is now doing the same. Experience luxury and performance at its finest while savoring savings of up to P 750,000.

Hey Mr. Play-It-Safe, are you sure you want to part with your hard-earned cash on a pickup-based SUV? Do you really want to drive around in a lumbering 7-seater when you only have one kid and you don’t like your father-in-law anyway? Well, Subaru says it’s about time you stop pretending that you’re a resident of Pleasantville. It’s time to get real and opt instead for the newest Subaru Forester.

Motor Image Pilipinas is delivering on a promise that sees the all-new 2019 Forester drop into showrooms starting today. Over its long preview period since August of last year, a lot of ground has already been covered so we’re providing you with all the links here:

Motor Image Group (MIG), the distributor of Subaru vehicles in 9 markets across Asia sprung to action immediately and clarified that its customers are not affected by the power steering defect announced by Subaru Corporation last night.

Due to the confluence of high inflation, rising borrowing costs, soaring oil prices, and tax hikes, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors or AVID sold 88,700 units, a 17 percent full-year contraction from last year’s 106,285 units sold, with dismal performance across all segments.

UPDATE: Motor Image Group, distributor of Subaru in 9 Asian countries including the Philippines issued a statement. Read it here (1/24).

Subaru is halting all production at its Yajima Factory in Gunma, Japan after the automaker has found out that they may installed a defective part in some of the models produced here. The move may be drastic, but is seen as the carmaker’s first steps in improving their quality assurance after they admitted to falsifying safety-related data last year.

Black Rhino Wheels, a brand synonymous for SUV and 4x4 aftermarket wheels, is continuing to lead the industry with the release of new designs and finishes this 2019.

Palawan has won hearts for its picturesque views and beautiful landscapes. And now, the city has welcomed an aggressive player in the auto industry to bring mobility solutions closer to the province and increase its utility front.

Suzuki Philippines launched their opening salvo for 2019—the all-new second-generation Ertiga MPV. The formal launch comes after several dealers have started leaking information about the Ertiga a few days before its launch.

Ford Philippines is expanding the number of EcoSport variants with the introduction of the new 1.5 Titanium. With this new variant, it brings the total variant count of Ford’s sub-compact SUV to five. The EcoSport 1.5 Titanium pairs the cutting-edge convenience features of the EcoBoost Titanium variant with the more practical normally-aspirated 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine.

After coming up with the Lego Batmobile in 2017, Chevrolet and Lego team up once more and this time Lego Master Builders have immortalized the full-sized Silverado pickup truck in 334,544 pieces of Lego.

With aggressive and competitive marketing strategies, Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPH) concludes 2018 with 2.5 percent year-end sales growth.

Hyundai believes they can significantly improve the safety of airbags with the introduction of a “multi-collision” system. Multi-collision accidents are those in which the primary impact is followed by collisions with secondary objects, such as trees, electrical posts or other vehicles, which occurs in three out of every 10 accidents.

The future is all about crossovers and no matter what you think of them, they’re selling like hotcakes right now. Nissan though thinks differently; they think they can save the sports sedan—by elevating it. Wait, what? Say hello to the IMs Concept.

The launch of the all-new 2019 Forester is just 2 days away and with that, Toyota Motor Philippines couldn’t resist but to steal some of Subaru’s thunder with their very own announcement that the all-new RAV4 will also be dropping into the local market just two weeks later.

If you think Toyota relying on BMW for their all-new Supra is bad enough, then this piece of news is worse. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are going to team up for their next-generation compact car.

Joining a gym, taking an exercise class, or breaking out the running kit are high on many people’s list of New Year’s resolutions.

Dinuguan is a dish that may taste good, but because of its all-black appearance looks unappetizing. And even if a gourmand isn’t put off by the way it looks, he may become queasy at the thought that it’s pig’s blood stew. Once you get past the dinuguan’s origins and looks though, it’s actually quite tasty and has become a staple, in one form or another, across the Philippine islands. This is the same sort of experience one will have with the BAIC M50S—the dinuguan of MPVs.

Blade Auto Center, a distributor of Sparco’s lifestyle products in the Philippines introduces a fuss-free, lightweight, and easy way to clean your car: the Sparco SPV1304 car vacuum cleaner.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines, closes its 2018 full-year sales with a total of 35,401 units. Compared to the 2017’s full-year performance of 37,678 units, the difference is 6 percent; this is in contrast to an industry that has declined at least 15-18 percent.

This year marks Lexus’s 10th year in delivering amazing products and excellent customer service in the Philippine luxury automotive scene. As Toyota’s premiere brand, here’s looking back at 10 facts about Lexus in the Philippines:

Nissan recently celebrated a significant milestone for its manufacturing operations in Thailand when it reached one million car exports to key destinations worldwide.  The Nissan Terra, the all-new frame-based premium SUV, was the one-millionth vehicle to roll off a Thai assembly line for export globally.