When Honda said that its newest Civic Type R would go on a European vacation and break lap records along the way last March, we’re starting to wonder: how is it doing? Well, it seems the venerable hot hatch has had its fill of croissants, waffles, and fish and chips while smashing the lap record in three circuits.

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi today officially opened a joint staff training center in the Philippines, as the automotive alliance works together more closely to enhance service to customers.

With a company logo that represents the Pleiades star cluster, Subaru is literally a brand wished upon the stars. Now, those wishes can come true with Motor Image Pilipinas’s 2018 Tanabata Festival.

BMW has been churning out countless X models as of late, but among them, the X3 is the best-balanced. It’s always managed to tiptoe between sportiness and comfort, ostentatiousness and practicality; it’s a BMW unrestricted by heritage, but still carries enough gravitas to wear the title of “ultimate driving machine.” Sadly though, the third-generation model has somewhat blemished that reputation. While it remains one of the premium SUV-dom’s most multi-faceted and respected offerings, it’s become a victim to BMW’s own product segmentation.

Typically, going for a premium (aka luxury) vehicle also means having to swallow premium aftersales service bills and of course, premium depreciation. Audi Philippines though has found a way around that problem.

The Philippine automotive industry must really be slowing down. After becoming the country’s best-selling vehicle for 2017, Toyota Motor Philippines is now doing something to boost sales of the Fortuner SUV that was pretty much unthinkable last year: a raffle.

United Asia Automotive Group, Inc. (UAAGI), the exclusive distributor of Foton vehicles in the Philippines inaugurated its Talisay, Cebu showroom last June 26, 2018.

What do you get when you mix Italian design with Japanese engineering? This: the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign. Launched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of both the GT-R and Italdesign, it’s currently a prototype which may go into ultra-limited production soon.

Italdesign developed, engineered, and built the car with the crisp new exterior and revised interior created by Nissan’s design teams in both Europe and North America.

The Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign contains a distinct gold inner element that stretches across almost the entire width of the vehicle. The hood has a more pronounced power bulge, while the LED headlights are made to stretch from the wheel arch to the lip above the outer cooling intakes.



The roofline has been lowered by 54 millimeters and features a lower center section, while the slightly raised outer portions give the roof profile a muscular look. The signature GT-R “samurai blade” cooling outlets behind the front wheels have gained more prominence with a gold inlay and extends from the bottom of the doors to the shoulder line.

The rear highlights the car’s wide track with taut, muscular flares around the wheels. The shoulder line tapers around the base of the rear window and draws toward the center of the trunk lid. In a dramatic fashion, the rear window line descends longer and deeper than on the standard car. Combined with more gold elements, it appears as a separate modular element of the rear structure.


The GT-R’s twin round taillights have been reimagined as a separate “floating” feature with thin light rings and hollow centers, mounted so as to join the outer buttress and the central portion of the trunk structure. A large, adjustable rear wing, mounted with two uprights, completes the overall look. Custom wheels: 21 x 10 inches in front and 21 x 10.5 inches at the rear accentuate the car’s bold stance. The exterior is finished in Liquid Kinetic Gray paint with distinctive Energetic Sigma Gold anniversary accents.

Inside, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign reflects its modern, high-performance pedigree. Two different carbon fiber finishes are extensively used across the center console, instrument panel and door linings, along with black Alcantara and fine black Italian leather on the seats. Gold accents echo the exterior treatment across the instrument panel, doors and the futuristic race car-inspired switchgear. The bespoke steering wheel’s central hub and spokes are made of carbon fiber, while the rim features a flat bottom and matching Alcantara trim.

Underneath the new shape, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign is all business. Drawing on Nissan’s GT3 racing experience, the NISMO organization enhanced the hand-assembled 3.8-liter V6 VR38DETT engine to produce an estimated 720 horsepower and 780 Nm of torque.



Changes to the power plant include optimized twin high-flow, large-diameter GT3 competition-spec turbochargers and larger intercoolers; heavy-duty crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods and bearings; high-flow piston oil jets; revised camshaft profiles; higher-flow fuel injectors; and optimized ignition, intake and exhaust systems. A reinforced dual-clutch sequential six-speed rear transaxle and stronger differentials and drive shafts direct the power to the wheels.

A revised suspension has been developed, featuring the BILSTEIN DampTronic I continuously adjustable damping system. For braking, the Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes feature bright red, clearly visible calipers. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, sized 255/35 R21 in the front and 285/30 R21 in the rear, add a level of grip needed to harness the engine’s power.

Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign Prototype Key Specifications

• Base Vehicle: Nissan GT-R NISMO
• Overall Length: 4,784 mm
• Overall Width: 1,992 mm
• Overall Height: 1,316 mm
• Wheelbase: 2,780 mm
• Engine: 3.8-liter VR38DETT by NISMO
• Maximum Power: 720 horsepower @ 7,100 rpm
• Maximum Torque: 780 Nm @ 3,600-5,600 rpm
• Driveline: Mid-mounted front engine / rear transaxle ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive
• Gearbox: Reinforced dual-clutch sequential 6-speed rear transaxle
• Suspension: BILSTEIN DampTronic I damping system
• Brakes: Brembo, with 2-piece floating drilled disc (front: 6-piston monoblock caliper; rear: 4-piston monoblock caliper)
• Wheels: 21 x 10 J (f), 21 x 10.5 J (r)
• Tires: Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 255/35 R 21 (f); 285/30 R 21 (r) 

Serendipitous circumstances would mean that it’s only now that we get to sample the Mazda MX-5 in its purest form: the one equipped with a manual transmission. While some may say that the era of driving with three pedals is almost over, Mazda begs to differ. As great as the new “ND” is with the 6-speed automatic, it becomes alive when equipped with a manual. Spending a week driving around in this Snowflake White MX-5 MT, there are 7 random thoughts that popped into our heads.

Volvo Cars announced it is working with Google to embed the voice-controlled Google Assistant, Google Play Store, Google Maps, and other Google services into its next-generation Sensus infotainment system, based on Google’s Android operating system.

Porsche’s future vision of mobility is another step closer as the company announced that series production of the first purely electric Porsche is set to begin next year. And in preparation, the vehicle has now been given an official name: the Taycan.

In the traditionally male-dominated automotive industry, Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo has risen to become the president and chief executive officer of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI). With Ms. Agudo at the helm, HARI has become one of the biggest and strongest carmakers locally. More recently, she was instrumental in HARI getting the official distributorship of Hyundai commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses in the country. This makes HARI the only distributor in Southeast Asia to combine both passenger car and CV operations under one distributor.

Stuck in traffic, your spouse decides to take the “quicker” route home but makes a wrong turn instead. “Now we will never get home!” you shout from the passenger seat. The children, safely buckled in the back seat, start to cry. With so many distractions, you’ve just increased your driver’s chances of making a careless–and dangerous–move on the road.

The new Lamborghini Urus is named MVP SUV of Robb Report’s Best of the Best 2018 awards. The American luxury-lifestyle magazine describes this super SUV as a “consummate crossover” with the combined elements of the Lamborghini Huracán Performante and Aventador S with its own innovative engineering.

The rainy season has officially kicked off and the all too familiar heavy downpour, road blockages, and flash floods are here once again. This certainly makes driving a bit nerve-wracking. But no need to fret as Ford can make your driving experience worry-free with the Ford Everest.

One of Suzuki Philippines’ most anticipated models of the year, the all-new 2018 Swift has finally arrived. Launched side-by-side with the all-new Dzire sedan (you can read our initial impressions here), the Swift enters the market with a bolder look, impressive specifications, and an affordable price tag.

The Aston Martin Vanquish S is now gone and with that, the old-style Aston Martin chassis and normally-aspirated V12 engine. Don’t fret though, because the car that replaces it, the 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is just as powerful and opulent.

After Toyota rolled out the red carpet at the New York International Auto Show, its home country of Japan is finally seeing the sleeker, sportier 2019 Corolla.

Volkswagen and the I.D. R Pikes Peak have made history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Driving the 680-horsepower I.D. R Pikes Peak, Romain Dumas defeated a field including cars with conventional drivetrain technology. In doing so, he not only broke the previous record for electric vehicles, but also bettered Sébastien Loeb’s all-time record from 2013 by a full 16 seconds. Dumas’ new record of 7m 57.148s minutes is now top of the list of Pikes Peak champions, which includes such acclaimed drivers as Loeb, Walter Röhrl, Michèle Mouton, Stig Blomqvist, Nobuhiro Tajima, and also Rod Millen and his son Rhys.

The death of the turbocharger isn’t dampening sales of the fifth-generation Subaru Forester in its home country of Japan. Subaru Corporation reveals that 4,119 units have been reserved so far after just a month.

Isuzu Philippines Corporation successfully concluded its annual Isuzu Service Skills Olympics (ISSO) held at its compound in Binan, Laguna last June 1 and 2.

The 2018 Mazda CX-9 7-seater SUV earned a five-star overall safety rating in the US government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) following the completion of rigorous collision and pre-collision testing.

Is the rainy season making you feel down? What about flooding or potholes? Well, Black Rhino Philippines is offering a way to beat your gloomy mood (and the weather) by offering select designs at a more affordable price.

Volkswagen Philippines is pulling out all the stops to make sure your next car is a VW. From today until Wednesday, July 4, people who reserve the new Santana Trendline, Lavida 230 TSI Comfortline, and Tiguan 280 TSI Comfortline at the two on-going road shows are entitled to free Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) for 1 year.

It is given: mid-sized 7-seater SUVs is now this generation’s family car. Aside from a seating configuration that allows the entire caboodle to hit the shopping mall in style, they’re tall (flood-proof), durable, and most importantly, powered by a frugal (ish) diesel engine. Naturally, not one SUV could have everything. This suddenly puts into focus the buyer’s priorities: does he want something practical, but dull or is he will to sacrifice a bit of that practicality for a dash of sportiness?

Hyundai has grabbed the headlines by topping the J.D. Power’s 2018 US Initial Quality Study or IQS. In the latest results released just a few days ago, Hyundai’s premium brand, Genesis managed to topple long-time leader Porsche in the Premium category while sister brands Kia and Hyundai took the top spots in the Non-Premium category pushing American, German, and Japanese makes down the order. But are the results all they’re cracked up to be?