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January 24, 2024

Shell Kicks Off 110th Milestone Year In The Philippines

Shell Pilipinas continues to uphold its legacy in the Philippines as a partner in the country’s progress for over a century. More than a fuels provider, Shell has taken an active role in energizing Filipino lives for 110 years through innovative products and services, good governance, and relevant social development programs.

Buoyed by a recovering automotive industry, Toyota Motor Philippines had a record 2023—breaching the 200,000-unit sales mark (check the full model-by-model breakdown). But did you know that its luxury division, Lexus, also had an amazing year as well?

Hyundai has unveiled its “Active Air Skirt” or AAS technology that’s designed to minimize aerodynamic resistance generated during high-speed driving. This will effectively improve the driving range and driving stability of its battery electric vehicles.

Despite the increased competitiveness of the Philippine automotive industry, Toyota Motor Philippines managed to secure an all-time high sales record last year by selling 200,031 units. This helped them maintain their so-called Triple Crown of being the best-selling brand overall as well as best-selling passenger car brand and best-selling commercial vehicle brand.

Ford Philippines announces the availability of the Ford Explorer across its Ford dealerships nationwide. It can also be reserved via the Ford online reservation portal.

Changan Auto PH Appoints Vis-Min Dealer

Inchcape Philippines, the official distributor of Changan Auto, teams up with Global Star Motors Corporation (GSMC) to become the brand’s newest dealership. With this partnership, GSMC will open six Changan dealerships in the Visayas and Mindanao region, namely: Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, and Cagayan de Oro.

Mazda6 Japan Discontinuation Will Not Affect Philippine Allocation

Big news out of Japan is Mazda’s announcement that they will discontinue the production of the Mazda6 for the Japanese domestic market by mid-April 2024. We reached out to Mazda Philippines if this has any impact on their executive wagon.

Honor and Porsche Design have jointly unveiled their first smartphone collaboration: the Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR. The Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR has the distinction of being the world’s thinnest inward foldable smartphone—a reflection of both company’s design expertise.

Audi makes history as their RS Q e-tron conquered the 2024 Dakar Rally. The low-emission prototype, equipped with an electric drive, high-voltage battery, and energy converter gave Audi their first victory in the world’s most grueling rally race. The Spaniard pair of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz crossed the finish line first after around 7,900 kilometers of driving with a lead of 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Leading up to its official Philippine market launch on January 26, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines has adjusted the price of the Triton’s top-of-the-line variant, the Athlete 4WD AT, to make it more competitive in its segment.

2024 Subaru Outback 2.5i-Touring: Versatility Without Bounds

Subaru is renowned for producing some of the most practical and well-designed vehicles on the market. Quite frankly, I have not encountered a single Subie that hasn’t been used, abused, and yet, maintained as well-loved family cars, one way or the other. This statement applies to not only its bestselling SUV, the Subaru Forester, but also to its range of performance cars, such as the Subaru WRX and BRZ. In fact, if there is one thing that I find to be unique to Subaru, it is the brand’s consistency in offering up cars that are reliable and can satiate an enthusiast’s drive for power and precision.

Chinese carmakers, pay attention. This is your gold standard. The past five years or so, we’ve seen brands sprout up like mushrooms all from the Middle Kingdom. And like fungi that thrive in dark, damp places, none of them deserve to be in the limelight. They’d be great for a couple of days or so, but something always throws you off. Until now. The GWM Haval H6 shows us that when they get their act together, they could make pretty compelling cars.

United Auctioneers, the biggest auction house in the country, kicks off 2024 with the widest onsite and online truck and equipment event: the 2024 Kick-Off Hybrid Auction this January 23 to 26.

Nissan PH Upgrades Urvan With Higher Safety This 2024

Nissan is busy updating its line-up for 2024. Aside from upgrading the feature set of its Terra mid-sized SUV (from VE all the way to the VL and Sport variants), the carmaker has also quietly introduced an updated version of its snub-nosed van, the Urvan, for 2024.

Buy A Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Get A Staycation Package At Shangri-La The Fort

IC Automotive Inc., the general distributor of Chrysler, Jeep Dodge, and Ram in the Philippines is offering another incentive to would-be Grand Cherokee L buyers.

The City of Makati has chosen the Hyundai Ioniq 5 as the newest additions to their public safety response vehicle fleet. The five standard range units, all in Phantom Black Pearl, will help ensure the safety of the city’s residents and transients.

BMW becomes the first premium brand in the country to offer connected car services in the form of BMW ConnectedDrive.

Heads up, Avanza and Veloz owners. Apart from the Customer Satisfaction Campaign for the brake cylinder slide pin, Toyota Motor Philippines has announced a Special Service Campaign to reinforce your side-impact beam.

Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Geely vehicles in the country continues its management revamp with the appointment of Ferdinand “Ferdie” Lasan as their new General Manager for Vehicle Sales.

SMC Asia Car Distributors Corporation has launched the latest member of the all-electric BMW i family and this one serves as their most affordable entry yet: the BMW i4.

After Honda Japan inadvertently posted photos of what looks to be the upcoming refresh of the Civic (under the guise of a new variant in Japan), Honda has finally confirmed that this is the updated 2025 Civic.

GrabCar Expands To Cagyan De Oro

Grab Philippines is launching its flagship mobility service, GrabCar, in Cagayan de Oro. With this, Grab is not only providing Kagay-anons with a viable transportation option but is also creating a new avenue for generating livelihoods and stimulating economic activity in the City of Golden Friendship.

To welcome 2024, Suzuki Philippines is rolling out additional benefits for new customers of the Suzuki Carry mini truck.

GAC Motor Philippines kicks off the new year with its “New Year, New Drive Promo,” giving customers deals on brand-new GAC vehicles.

New car sales, according to the joint report of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) reached 429,807 units, surpassing their 423,000-unit target. It is also 22 percent higher compared to 2022’s year-end 352,596 units.

In a Philippine industry first, Nissan Philippines is retroactively extending the warranty of the Nissan Kicks e-Power’s high-voltage lithium-ion battery from five to eight years.

Chery Auto PH Posts 64 Percent Growth In 2023

Chery Auto Philippines (CAP) concluded 2023 with a remarkable growth of 64 percent versus its 2022 sales performance. Its total sales reached 3,600 units enabling them to corner a 1.2 percent of the local passenger vehicle segment.

Lamborghini and Tod’s are collaborating on footwear for the first time. The collab is meant to celebrate the craftsmanship and innovation that define the two companies.

In the year 2023 that marked its 60th anniversary, Lamborghini set a new sales record by delivering more than 10,000 cars in a single year. The precise final tally was 10,112—a 10 percent increase over 2022.

It can be done. In a groundbreaking feat that marks a new era for 100 percent electric vehicles in the country, the Audi Q8 e-tron 55 SUV completed a drive from Metro Manila to Baguio and back to Metro Manila without having to recharge its battery.

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, most of the attention over at Mazda went straight to their plans of reviving an in-house tuner in the form of Mazda Spirit Racing. And while that’s certainly good news to Mazda fans and enthusiasts, there’s an even better story: the brand’s decision to build a new rotary-powered sportscar.

After teasing it some weeks back, Hyundai has finally revealed the refreshed 2024 Creta sub-compact crossover. Debuting in India first, this update is expected to be rolled out in more regions including ASEAN countries such as the Philippines.

Stocks of the top-of-the-line turbocharged 2024 Seltos SX have arrived according to Kia’s exclusive Philippine distributor, AC Motors.

Mercedes-Benz PH Launches Flagship EQS Sedan For P 9.990M (w/ Brochure)

IC Star Automotive Inc., the official and sole distributor of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the Philippines launches its flagship EV sedan, the EQS. The latest addition to the EQ family that was introduced in the market last year, it comes in one variant: the EQS 450 4Matic AMG.

Changan Auto, the newest brand under Inchcape Philippines will continue making its presence left as they are set to open six new dealerships starting with C5, Pasig.

A total of 10,975 Toyota Raize, Avanza, and Veloz models are affected by a recall in the Philippines due to an issue that surrounds the disc brake cylinder slide pin boot.

The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, composed of Geely Auto, Lynk & Co, Volvo Cars, Polestar, Proton, Lotus, Smart, Radar, LEVC and Farizon, achieved a 20 percent year-on-year growth to 2.79 million units—a record for the group. 2023 also marks the sixth consecutive year Geely managed two million units in aggregate sales.

Apparently, it’s not only the Terra VE 4x2 that’s getting some love from the folks over at Nissan Philippines’ product planning department. There are now some slight spec upgrades on both the Terra VL and Terra Sport for 2024 as well.

It may have been one of the longest teases in Philippine automotive history, but Omoda and Jaecoo are finally launching. The sister brands, collectively known as O&J, will make their local debut at the Manila International Auto Show from April 4 to 7.

The Petron Philippine Overland Expedition (PHL-OX) 2024 is back and guarantees to take extreme 4x4 racing and overlanding to the next level. Now on its second year, the PHL-OX 2024 introduces more challenging obstacles, the inclusion of international-spec 4x4 rigs, and the opportunity for non-competitors to experience General Nakar in Quezon like never before.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is ringing in the new year with deals you wouldn’t want to miss. This January, Toyota is offering customers low monthly plans, free periodic maintenance for their brand-new ride, trade-in rebates, and more.

GAC Motor Opens In Alabang

GAC Motor celebrated the grand inauguration of its newest dealership, GAC Motor Alabang. The event took place in the presence of executives from GAC International (China), its local distributor Astara Philippines, and dealer partner AutoIcon.

Nissan Philippines has introduced some new comfort and convenience upgrades to the Terra this 2024 ~~at no additional cost~~ for an additional P 80,000.

Hard to believe, but the 11th generation Honda Civic has been around since 2021. As such, it’s pretty much ready for a mid-cycle refresh sometime this year. Now, normally carmakers would like to keep the exact timings a closely guarded secret, but in the case of Honda, they outed the launch timing themselves.

Get ready to rev your engines and fuel your dreams because Petron Corporation is dropping a first-ever engine oils promo. Mark your calendars from January 8 to June 30, 2024, because the ‘Big Winner Ka Sa Petron’ Engine Oils Promo is roaring into action!

Demand for Porsche sports cars in 2023 was strongest in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, which outperformed growth rates in established regions as the luxury brand impressively continued on its upward sales trajectory.

Great Wall Motor or GWM has achieved remarkable success in 2023, selling 1.23 million units globally, the eighth straight year they’ve managed to breach seven figure sales. Out of that number, roughly 316,018 were exported outside of China, up 82.48 percent from the year before.

Toyota Motor Philippines is continuing its line-up consolidation for 2024 with the quiet introduction of a new entry-level variant of the Veloz, the 1.5 E CVT and, at the same time, the discontinuation of the Rush 1.5 E starting January 12.

Review: 2024 GWM Haval Jolion 1.5 HEV

Don’t judge a car solely by its cover, or in this case, its sheet metal. If I were to render verdict on the GWM Haval Jolion based on its looks alone, I’d say it’s uninteresting; and no amount of posing it with celebrities or influencers will change that. Just look at it—the design looks a half or even a full generation behind its competitors. The halberd-shaped taillights and what look to be the biggest turn signal lamps ever fitted in a production car (for the record, it’s the entire lower triangular part) notwithstanding, it apes the previous-generation Mitsubishi Outlander. You know, a compact SUV launched way back in 2012. But thankfully, this review isn’t as shallow as that, and with proper seat time, this “small SUV” from GWM comes across as a serious threat to Japanese and Korean stalwarts.

Hyundai is doubling down on its high-performance Hyundai N brand by unveiling a range of N Performance Parts for the Ioniq 5 N at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon of all places. In effect, they managed to outshine the other significant performance EV SUV at the show—the Nissan Ariya Nismo.

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