February 2023 | CarGuide.PH | Philippine Car News, Car Reviews, Car Prices

February 28, 2023

These Are The Best Mechanics At Honda Cars Dealerships

Aside from awarding its best performing dealers, Honda Cars Philippines (HCPI) also recognized its most skilled and well-trained service associates at their annual Dealer Conference.

Honda Cars Batangas (HCBT) is the 2022 Honda Cars Dealer of the Year. Their recognition builds on their steadfast excellence which helped them achieve third place in 2020 and second place in 2021. Honda Cars Marcos Highway (HCMR) came in second, while Honda Cars Quezon City (HCQC) and Honda Cars Fairview (HCFR) nabbed third.

The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) and MPT Mobility reports a “massive uptick” in app downloads as a result of their Download, Drive, and Win! promo which ended last January.

Nissan is planning to accelerate the roll out of its Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and e-Power (HEV) models as part of its global electrification strategy.

Hyundai is continuing to refresh its entire line-up. After showing off sketches of its upcoming Accent (Verna), they’re now showing off the facelifted Elantra for the first time. Known as the Avante in its home market, the update comes nearly three years since the 7th generation model made its debut in 2020.

Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) today announced that Genevieve Tiu, journalist and video producer at CarGuide.PH, and contributing writer to The Philippine STAR Wheels has been appointed to the WWCOTY jury. With the addition of Tiu, the WWCOTY’s panel now consists of 64 female automotive journalists from 47 countries. WWCOTY aims to recognize the best cars of each year, while also giving a voice to women in the automotive world.

Spotted! Jetour X70 Is Already In The Philippines

How’s this for an entry in Interesting Car Spotting? Just a day after we broke news confirming that Jetour is coming into the Philippines via a partnership between the Gateway Group and AutoSpeedyGo, a Jetour X70 was spotted parked along a dealership along North EDSA.

The refreshed BMW 3 Series lands in the Philippines, delivering the same elegant design and sporty handling, but now with an extensively modernized interior and additional equipment.

As more people embrace cycling as a means to get around, it’s had an unforeseen consequence: cyclist aggression. This is putting more lives at risk, according to research conducted by UK-based road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart.

A day before its official Philippine reveal, Coventry Motors Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Land Rover has spilled the beans on the specifications and prices of the all-new 2023 Range Rover Sport.

For automotive brands to show continued growth, they must find traction across all demographics. A new study from S&P Global Mobility sheds light on which vehicle brands women find most and least appealing.

2023 Hyundai Creta 1.5 GLS vs 2023 Honda HR-V 1.5 S

The local crossover segment is an interesting one. What was once a category with segments delineated by size and price has turned into one with an almost confusing number of overlapping choices. No other segment offers buyers the choice of propulsion type—normally aspirated gas, turbocharged gas, diesel, hybrid—but also the number of seats (5 or 7), and even the country of origin (Japan, Korea, U.S., China). At last count, there are over 20 out there, and those are just the players in the A- and Small Utility space. The segment is so huge that in 2022, 76,117 A- and Small Utility vehicles were sold—that’s as much as sub-A, A-, and B-segment passenger cars put together (76,182).

2023 Nissan Terra Sport Adds Black Sophistication To Best-Selling Mid-Sized SUV (w/ Specs)

Jumpstarting an exciting 2023, Nissan Philippines announced the arrival of a new variant of its best-selling mid-sized SUV, the Nissan Terra. The 2023 Terra Sport is designed for adventurous heads of families who crave exploration, and seek out thrilling experiences for them and their loved ones.

Global research from behavior experts SKIM Group has uncovered the scale to which some of the world’s most iconic automotive marques are struggling to keep up with the pace of the Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution in the eyes of car buyers.

The Philippines is courting for a new carmaker to setup shop locally. According to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo the country along with Vietnam and Indonesia are competing to secure a second EV assembly plant for China’s BYD.

An unlikely partnership brings two of the largest dealer groups in the country together: the exclusive Philippine distributorship of Jetour.

Hyundai Mobility Adventure Heads To Glorietta

Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc. (HMPH), brings the Hyundai Mobility Adventure (HMA) metaverse space out from Roblox to the Glorietta Activity Center. Earlier in the month, three dedicated virtual zones namely the Global Driving Center, Philippine Driving Studio, and Philippine Local Culture Zone, were unlocked in HMA. The unique Philippine elements incorporated within the game can be accessed only until March 1, however, from today to Sunday, February 26, mall goers will be treated to the same experience but beyond gadget screens. One of which is the Ioniq 5-powered Café where visitors may learn more about the brand’s first fully electric vehicle while at the same time enjoy a free hot or cold beverage.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) commemorated its 60th anniversary at their Santa Rosa City, Laguna assembly plant. Mr. Takao Kato, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation President and CEO himself led other executives to celebrate the special milestone.

For those planning a road trip this upcoming Lenten season and Labor Day, the first item on one's checklist should be to have their vehicle serviced to avoid any troubles on the road.

Geely has unveiled their flagship electrified vehicle brand, Geely Yinhe (Galaxy) with two initial products—the Galaxy L7 plug-in hybrid SUV (below photo) and a fully-electric concept called the Galaxy Light (above photo).

After its global debut in November, Toyota has started exporting its first-ever Innova Hybrid from its manufacturing base in Indonesia.

Ayala Foundation, Mitsubishi Corporation Partner For Youth Program

Ayala Foundation and Mitsubishi Corporation recently renewed their commitment to support the youth sector through a memorandum of understanding for the Maging Magiting Youth Leadership Program (MMYLP).

The pandemic brought changes to consumer behavior—causing e-commerce to expand in many ways toward new customers, new brands, and businesses. To handle the situation, B2C (Business to Consumer) industry changed their way to maximize digitalization including personalized customer experience.

Hino Motors Philippines Corporation (HMP) teams up with logistics giant J&T Express as the latter expands its fleet operations this year.

Toyota is probably only car brand capable of hitting the 10,000 units a month sales range consistently. Just last January, the country’s number one automaker managed to move 13,428 units or a 45.42 percent market share. Their closest rival, Mitsubishi is way behind with just 17 percent market share (5,030 units sold).

When the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines and Truck Manufacturers Association (CAMPI-TMA) released their January industry data, the big surprise was Honda. From a mainstay in the lower half of the country’s Top 10 best-selling car brands, the Japanese carmaker found itself back into the Top 5, overtaking Suzuki and Isuzu in the process.

Nissan Philippines Launching New Terra Variant On February 25

Heads up, Nissan Philippines is launching a new variant of its best-selling Terra mid-sized SUV this Saturday, February 25.

Ahead of its global unveil on March 21, Hyundai has released design sketches of its all-new (and likely last generation) Accent.

Hyundai Motor Company says its January 2023 global sales reached 306,296 units—a 8.4 percent year-over-year. Despite the continued uncertainties in the business environment, global sales have grown steadily from last year thanks to popular new models and strong demand for the brand.

For the second consecutive year, the Hyundai Staria was voted as the Import Van of the Year at the Best Cars award of the German trade journal, auto motor und sport.

After revealing which type of drivers are most likely to show psychopathic tendencies, a new study now reveals which car brands have the smartest (and dumbest) drivers.

Headed To Baguio This Weekend? Enjoy Discounts And Freebies At Caltex

Caltex, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI) celebrates Panagbenga festival by offering fuel discounts and premium items to both locals and tourists alike.

Touted as the most versatile and capable Ford Ranger ever, it is also officially the “Best 4x4 and Pick-up” according to the Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) judges.

Lexus is once again the most dependable car brand, based on the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study or VDS. And in results that echo last year’s, Kia remains the highest rated mainstream brand for the second year running.

Is it the beginning of the end for Honda’s famed VTEC technology? When it comes to the company’s new generation V6, that seems to be the case.

In its fourth year as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ayala Corporation, KP Motors Corporation (Kia Philippines) announced that it has outpaced the growth of the automotive industry as a whole with a 34 percent sales increase in 2022 (the industry grew 26 percent).

It's Not Just Your Imagination: Manila's Traffic Worsened In 2022

Cubao to Makati in 5 minutes? How about 27? That’s the time it took to travel approximately 10 kilometers in 2022 according to the annual TomTom Traffic Index.

2023 Volvo XC40 Now Comes With Standard Hybrid Power For P 3.690M (w/ Specs)

At the Alabang Country Club’s 35th Mango Tee, Volvo Philippines showed off the XC40 premium compact SUV. Dubbed as one of the country’s most prestigious golfing events, Volvo used the occasion to show off the updated version of the smallest member of its range, now powered by the Boost Hybrid powertrain.

There has been so much ado when it comes to the discussion of electrification in the country. Is it coming? Is it here? When will the Philippines finally transition to more sustainable mobility? Why is the government taking so long in extending legislative support? While most of the luxury brands have continued to launch EV after EV, in an effort to provide Filipinos next-level mobility, Toyota has taken a more practical and, dare we say, simpler route while still providing motorists a taste of what it means to shift to a more sustainable mode of transport.

Few cars have such wide-ranging talents as the BMW 5 Series, and buyers seem to agree: it’s been at the heart of the German automaker’s range in every generation that’s been around (the current is the seventh). However, in the time when it has become almost the default choice, helped by the fact that it’s the best of its kind, it faces an interesting challenge: luxury crossovers. But as the demand for luxury sedans is shrinking, BMW isn’t going down without a fight. Their response is to come up with the best 5 Series since the legendary E39 generation.

2023 Suzuki Grand Vitara Returns To ASEAN With Hybrid Power

After teasing its ASEAN return last January, Suzuki has finally unveiled the all-new Grand Vitara in Indonesia.

It’s our fault, really. We got so excited at the prospect at an all-new Volkswagen model hitting the Philippine market that we (probably along with you) got deflated by this piece of news. Remember that “thing” that VW was teasing? It’s nothing more than just new colors for its T-Cross sub-compact SUV.

Hyundai Baliwag Bags Best In Service For Asia-Pacific At Global Customer Experience Championship

Hyundai Naga and Baliwag earned top distinctions at the 2022 Global Customer Experience Championship (CXC). A network-wide competition started by Hyundai Motor Corporation advocates exceptional customer care in both Sales and Aftersales. It not only reinforces the competencies of the brand’s frontliners, but also remind and enable them to embody the “Hyundai Dealer Key Behavior” of H.E.A.R.T., which stands for Host, Empathize, Anticipate, Respect, and Thank.

Two battery electric vehicles ended up as the big winners at the 2023 Canadian Car of the Year awards. The BMW i4 bagged the 2023 Canadian Car of the Year award, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 won the 2023 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year.

BMW takes the top spot in Consumer Reports’ annual ranking of automotive brands when it comes to performance, safety, and reliability.

Caltex, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), is distributing Caltex SavePlus cards with big fuel discounts and other benefits to AutoHub customers as part of their after-sales program. On top of that, customers that will book their PMS appointment thru their recently launched mobile app, are also eligible to get SavePlus cards. This was announced during the partnership signing ceremony, held at the AutoHub Dealership in Greenhills attended by Chevron and AutoHub executives.

Mazda PH Rolls Out Updated 2023 MX-5 With New Colors, Wireless Apple CarPlay

Last week, we reported that, along with price adjustment to some of its models, Mazda Philippines quietly slipped in new soft-top option for the MX-5. Now, it can be confirmed that the availability of the Brown Top option coincides with the release of a minor update for their iconic two-seater sportscar.

Suzuki Philippines, Inc (SPH), continues its efforts to make its latest models of iconic cars more accessible to more customers and Filipino families by holding a two-day roadshow in one of the country’s leading malls.

After declaring that 2023 with be an “electric year” for the brand, Peugeot has officially shown their new 48-volt hybrid system that will roll out initially in the 3008 and 5008 before being extended to other models.

For the first time ever, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will be producing an all-electric kei-car-sized commercial vehicle outside of Japan. Production of the Minicab-MiEV will start at the PT Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Indonesia—the Japanese carmaker’s factory in Indonesia with plans to export them to other ASEAN markets.

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