July 2019 | CarGuide.PH | Philippine Car News, Car Reviews, Car Prices

July 31, 2019

Honda Scores Highest in Sales Satisfaction in the Philippines in 2019

Honda buyers in the Philippines are the most satisfied when it comes to their new car purchase. This is according to the J.D. Power 2019 Philippines Sales Satisfaction Index study. With a score of 832 (out of 1,000), they rank ahead of Mitsubishi (829) and Toyota (823), while at the bottom are Isuzu, Hyundai, and Ford.

The inaugural J.D. Power 2019 Mobility Confidence Index Study shows that consumers aren’t exactly sold on battery-electric vehicles, despite car manufacturers spending billions to bring them to market. Confidence, in a 100-point scale for self-driving vehicle is just at 55 percent.

For a period of 12 days, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association or JAMA will hold the 46th Tokyo Motor Show 2019. Confirmed to participate are 186 companies from seven countries. The show will not only offer vehicle displays, but will actually enable visitors to see how future mobility will look like, and how it will be integrated into the urban living experience of the not-so-distant future.

MG Philippines embarks on one of its most exciting partnerships to date, as it joins forces with the number one sports media property in Asia and the world’s largest martial arts organization—ONE Championship. The collaboration between MG Philippines and ONE Championship stems from a common desire to provide fans with an experience like no other and is thus punctuated by the “Weekend Crossover” raffle promo—awarding one lucky winner with the prize of a lifetime.

Rally driving is making a comeback thanks to the efforts of the men behind the Philippine Rallycross Series or PHRX.

Will You Consider a Nissan Leaf If All You'll Pay is Just P 50,000 a Month?

Nissan has begun rolling out its all-electric Leaf to markets in Asia, and this should serve as a precursor as to how much it may cost when it arrives here in 2020. It certainly is not cheap, but there might be a way for the Japanese carmaker to make things more palatable for would-be customers.

After reports that 507,000 Volvo cars are at risk due to a potential engine fire, Volvo Cars Philippines has confirmed that several of its models are affected.

Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPH) closes the first half of 2019 on a high note, posting 14 percent sales growth over the same period last year and climbing to the sixth spot in the local automobile industry ranking and fifth place in the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) ranking.

Start the Suzuki Jimny and close your eyes. Without a doubt, you’ll find it as one of the most unrefined vehicles in the market today. Have someone drive you around, and the experience will give you motion sickness. It’s bouncy, unrefined, noisy. You’ll be hard-pressed to think why someone would spend a million bucks on one when you can find some other small SUV that’s a better daily than this. Then you open your eyes and you’re smitten. It’s cute and different. Be warned though, it’s not for everyone.

Volvo Cars reports a record revenue for the first six months of 2019 of SEK 130.1 billion (~ P 698 billion), up from SEK 122.9 billion (~ P 659.44 billion) year-on-year and buoyed by the best first half-year sales performance in the company’s history.

This Purpose-Built Army Vehicle is Made to Look Like a Toyota Hilux

A few months ago, we ran a piece about the so-called “Toyota War.” You can read all the details for yourself here, but if you want the gist: it cemented the Hilux’s reputation as the unnoticed weapon of guerilla warfare. This leads us to the Navistar SOTV-B, a purpose-built military vehicle that happens to look like a previous-generation Hilux.

While the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines or EVAP supports the City of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s drive to clean up and put order to Manila streets and the policy of DOTr (Department of Transportation) and DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) to ban all tricycles plying national roads, the organization feels that an all-out e-trike ban is not necessarily the solution.

From action scenes, explosions, and Gerald Anderson, Toyota Motor Philippines is now introducing their new ambassadors: the Muhlach family.

Pre-production cars typically live a short, abused life. Used to sign off last-minute tweaks and tuning, and even abused on TV programs (and some blogs) for videos and photographs, they’re sent to the crusher after just a couple of years. That should have been the case with this Kia Stinger, but delays in the required paperwork gave birth to an unlikely project: a one-off track day version.

A new technology that could see tires generate electricity whilst driving is being developed by engineers in Japan. Falken’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, together with Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University, have developed the Energy Harvester that takes advantage of the buildup of static electricity, known as frictional charging, to produce power efficiently as the tire turns.

What began in 2016 as a regional deal has now evolved into an international alliance, as MG and top-flight English football club Liverpool FC have taken their partnership to the global level. This collaboration is expected to deliver mutual brand growth and awareness for both esteemed parties in several key regions around the world.

View From the Top: Toyota Philippines' Best-Selling Vehicles

Toyota has always been synonymous with quality and reliability. The brand has endeared itself to many Filipinos and the Philippine car market so much that It’s a fair certainty that you or someone close to you to has owned a Toyota in their lifetime.

At the sidelines of the Seltos global drive, Kia also brought us to an immersive brand experience center dubbed, Kia Beat360.

Update: Nissan Philippines replies to this report. See below (8/9).

Nissan may be winding down their assembly at the Sta. Rosa, Laguna plant soon. As the Japanese carmaker grips with operating profits that plunged 99 percent, CEO Hiroto Saikawa is now concentrating on cutting jobs and overhauling business to fast track their recovery. At the center? Sub-scale market assemblies that include the Nissan plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

2020 Mitsubishi Montero Sport Embraces Futuristic Design with New Tech, Features

The current Mitsubishi Montero Sport is renowned primarily for its futuristic, out-of-this-world design. With the arrival of the refreshed 2020 model, Mitsubishi isn’t just fully embracing it design-wise, but is now adding cutting-edge tech to match the looks as well.

Samgyupsal. Black Pink. Finger hearts. Korean pop culture has invaded the Philippines in a very big way. So, it’s a surprise that their cars haven’t done the same. Though they’ve made in-roads in some segments—small budget cars and people movers to name two, they’re not household names yet. In life, changes happen in small, baby steps; once in a while though, a giant leap happens. For Kia, the Seltos is one of those times.

SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp., the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines has announced the availability of its flagship BMW X7—the first Sports Activity Vehicle (SUV in BMW talk) to fuse agility and versatility with presence, exclusivity, and spaciousness.

Quick, what’s the car brand that brings a strong emotional attachment to its owner? Which brand delivers the most excitement? If you’re thinking, Porsche then you’re absolutely right.

It’s been a while since Mitsubishi stormed a world rally stage backed up by a factory racing team, so it’s understandable that Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Sales Indonesia (MMKSI) is doing something extraordinary to keep that racing spirit alive: they’ve transformed the Xpander into a rally car.

After Chinese automaker Geely bought a 9.69 percent stake in Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, Daimler AG, a second Chinese automaker has now chipped in.

Renault is trolling Honda once again. After beating the Civic Type R’s record at the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife, the Megane R.S. Trophy-R has done it again, this time at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) participated at the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, underlying its support to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the country.

The Seltos is Kia Philippines' Last Unboxing of the Year

After much speculation, it’s now confirmed: the last Kia model to be unboxed this 2019 is not the Stonic, but the Seltos sub-compact crossover. Named after “Celtos,” the son of Hercules in Greek mythology, the Seltos is Kia’s new global response in the ever-growing small crossover segment.

Auto Nation Group, the official distributor of Mercedes-Benz in the Philippines, unveils the all-new 2019 Mercedes-Benz B-Class, redefining practicality, versatility, and safety while continuing to put emphasis on a sportier tourer identity. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class is the second vehicle to receive an update following the A-Class in 2018.

Foton Motor Philippines, Inc., (FMPI) is offering not one, but two flexible payment schemes under its Rain, Rain, Drive Away promo. Covering the Toplander SUV, TransVan, Traveller, Toano, and the Gratour Series, the fastest growing commercial vehicle brand in the country is offering either an all-in low-down payment or low monthly amortization schemes from now until September 30, 2019.

Mark your calendars: the refreshed Ford Everest is finally dropping in on the first week of August. After a false alarm last December and a lengthy delay heading to the market, the Philippines will finally receive the updated form of Ford’s 7-seater SUV.

Review: 2019 Suzuki Ertiga 1.5 GLX

There are some vehicles that were made to be more functional than stylish; utilitarian more than fashionable. The 2019 Suzuki Ertiga is one such car. Taking it at face value, its shape and size is designed to hold and move cargo, whether it be goods or people. While it won’t win any awards at being fashion-forward, it does make a dent in the utility department. Oh, and it gives you a surprisingly easy driving experience to boot. It’s a silent, efficient worker that does its thing with no frills and light thrills.

When Ayala Automotive took over the distributorship of Kia in the Philippines, one of the first promises they made was to turn around the business. After six months of operation, it seems they’ve done just that. And carrying the bulk of the work? The Soluto.

Before Nissan spun the GT-R into its own separate line, it was known as the Skyline GT-R. And with that, it’s a family of sporty front-engine, rear-wheel drive executive sedans. Though the Skyline is more recognized as an Infiniti (G or Q, depending on which particular model), that didn’t stop Nissan from giving it some serious muscle for 2019.

Motor Image Pilipinas’ annual Tanabata Festival is back, and with that comes great savings on your dream Subaru vehicle.

Swedish luxury carmaker Volvo is recalling 507,000 vehicles globally because of a faulty engine component that, in extreme cases, could result in a fire.

MG Philippines Announces Opening of 9 Dealerships, Spare Parts Availability

MG Philippines formally announces the strengthening of its aftersales service operations with the opening of fully-functioning dealerships, the availability of spare parts, and more.

Despite being in a very competitive segment, Toyota Motor Philippines closes the first half of 2019 with an undisputed dealership in the pickup truck segment.

While Asia-Pacific is waiting to get the revised 2019 Navara, Nissan Philippines has made it a point to update its perennial best-seller with a new feature that makes driving safer and smarter.

BYD and Toyota have announced that they have signed an agreement for the joint development of battery electric vehicles or BEVs. The two parties will jointly develop sedans and low-floor SUVs as well as the onboard batteries for these vehicles and others with the aim to launch them in the Chinese market under the Toyota brand in the first half of 2020s.

Filipino Workers Can Buy the Least Amount of Fuel in Asia-Pacific

The average Filipino worker can purchase 158 liters of gasoline, putting the country in dead last among the 17 countries researched by Picodi, an online aggregator of discount codes and deals.

If you can’t shake off the tuner feeling, but have to settle on a family crossover, Honda may have a solution for you: meet the CR-V MUGEN.

With Mazda celebrating the 30th anniversary of the MX-5 this year, it’s important to note its significance in the Philippine market.

One of the biggest banes to driving a supercar around is its low ground clearance, specifically at the front, where it has the propensity to scrape through anything. Well, Chevrolet has come up with an ingenious solution that’ll prevent that from happening in the 2020 Corvette Stingray.

The First-Ever Mid-Engined Chevrolet Corvette is Revealed and We Like What We See

After GM President Mark Reuss declares that they have reached the limits of performance with the Corvette’s traditional front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, Chevrolet fulfills the long-term promise of its iconic supercar with the introduction of the 2020 Corvette—the first-ever production mid-engine Corvette.

Grab, has unveiled the improved offerings of its flagship transport line: GrabCar Premium, by giving passengers more value for their journey through better cars, better drivers, and better travel experience.

With billions of emoji sent daily and nearly every mode of transportation including cars, scooters, boats, spaceships, and ski lifts among the 3,000 approved icons available to emoji users, truck fans noticed a glaring omission: There is no pickup truck. Ford decided it was time to do something about this with the debut of the pickup truck emoji.

With its commitment and capability to provide efficient people- and cargo movers for any type of business, Foton Philippines was chosen by one of the largest telecommunication product firms in the country, Maax Eye Trade, Inc. (METI) to be their vehicle service provider.

After a pretty damning picture painted by an investigative report by The Detroit Free Press, Ford has now issued an official statement regarding the DPS6 or PowerShift dual clutch transmission. For transparency, here it is in full:

After implementing a demerit-based system for Driver’s License holders in the Philippines, it looks like the Land Transportation Office (LTO) will also closely scrutinize the road worthiness of vehicles.

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