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November 18, 2014

Review: 2014 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Hatchback

Photos by Ulysses Ang

About two years ago, I was given the opportunity to drive the Sonic (sedan, hatchback), Chevrolet’s replacement to the solid but otherwise unremarkable Aveo. And while I had a great time loving the delectably designed exterior, premium feeling interior, and the respectably solid driving manners. The experience was without its hiccups, but in the end, you know the General is heading in the right direction with their revitalized sub-compact.

Get a Free iPhone 6 for Selected Volkswagen Purchases Until December 31, 2014

This season, don’t get caught in traffic while on your way to Christmas gatherings. Navigate your way with Volkswagen and the most anticipated gadget of the year – the iPhone 6.

One of Suzuki’s most well-loved compact cars, the Suzuki Swift, recently achieved a worldwide sales milestone of four million units since sales started in 2004. Demand remains high for the Swift in various countries where Suzuki operates, including the Philippines.

Editor’s Note: If you want to check out the full launch story, click here. For the ASEAN launch story, click here. Philippine specs, model variants, and prices here.

You’ve seen the all-new 2015 Ford Everest. Now let these handy “cheat sheets” help you out. These series of factoids, produced by Ford serves as a handy chart to see why the Everest is bound to re-write the SUV rulebook when it finally hits Manila and the rest of ASEAN soon. It’s pretty extensive covering its heritage, safety technology, exterior and interior design, and a whole lot more.

From December 3 to 6, Abu Dhabi’s spectacular Yas Marina circuit will host the 2014 Finali Mondiali Ferrari, which therefore takes place outside Europe for the first time. The event features four days of excitement and spectacle, of the sort that only Ferrari can provide, aimed at all fans of the Prancing Horse.

UPDATED: 2015 Ford Everest: This is It

UPDATE 4: See the Philippine specs, models, and prices here (05/19/2015).

UPDATE 3: The ASEAN model has been launched (03/25/2015).

UPDATE 2: We included the fact sheets of the all-new Ford Everest here (11/14/2014).

UPDATE 1: We included the official press release after the break (11/14/2014).

After countless teasing, the all-new production Ford Everest has finally been revealed and it’s undoubtedly going to be the benchmark by which every mid-sized SUV would be measured against. Built from the ground up to be a smart, rugged, and refined SUV, the all-new Everest promises to blend rugged off-road capability with exceptional on-road ride quality and dynamic handling.

The MediaCorp Subaru Challenge 2014 came to a dramatic finish, with the Singaporean 50 year-old catering officer, Mr G. Jaishanker emerging as the champion and setting a new Challenge record time of 82 hours and 16 minutes after the runner up, Ms Analiza Binte Mokhtar dropped out.

Planning out of town getaways, family reunions, and parties with friends to celebrate this yuletide season made easier as Honda’s best selling sub-compact sedan promise to deliver nothing but unparalleled travelling experience with additional versatility for all your hauling needs. HCPI gears you up before hitting the roads offering a free holiday organizing kit for all Honda City variants until December 31, 2014. The City holiday organizing package consists of genuine Modulo utility accessories namely trunk tray, trunk drawer, cargo hook and cargo net.

Photos by Ulysses Ang and Porsche Press

On the moon. At the north pole. In the deepest jungle. There isn’t a place where someone hasn’t already been and opened up new territory, raised the flag, and written history. You can follow their example or leave your own tracks. For Porsche, the answer has always been obvious: it’s in the company DNA to take new routes which question what was once cast in stone. Where others give up, that’s where their engineers begin. The all-new 911 Turbo S and 911 GT3 are testaments to engineering a tradition, a tradition of leaving the beaten path.

Kia is Official Transport of TV5's The Amazing Race Philippines Season 2

More surprises from the brand with the Power to Surprise as travel warriors of The Amazing Race Philippines Season 2 are set to take on their Philippine & Asian adventure aboard a Kia Sportage!
The Amazing Race Philippines is the local franchise of the award-winning reality competition of the same name. Since 2001, the show has garnered a worldwide fan base and critical acclaim for its unique challenges, highly-competitive nature, and visual spectacle featuring the world’s finest landmarks.

The Honda Jazz MUGEN is Here

Last September, Honda Cars Philippines gave us the privilege to drive its concept Jazz 1.5 VX+ MUGEN edition with the caveat that it will be launching the official car in the third quarter of 2014 with a retail price that’s ‘to be announced’. Well, after all the speculation, here it is: the 2014 Honda Jazz MUGEN and it’s all yours for P 908,000.

Honda Cars Philippines is slowly re-aligning its Civic compact sedan to have more salient features which buyers are increasing looking out for. For the 2015 model year, Honda is bringing the Civic’s total variant range to six in either 1.8- or 2.0-liter displacements. And for the first-time ever (since the FD), it will be available with a 5-speed manual transmission box for the entry-level 1.8 S variant.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Whether you like it or not, sub-compact cars are becoming more and more complicated. Once seen as the first rung in the ladder of automotive ownership, today’s small cars are jam-packed with features and technologies which can frankly turn some people off. Voice-activated controls, touch screen audio systems, turbocharged engines, stability control; they are all well and good, but for the Average Joe, having to navigate through all these while trying to acclimatize to driving in Manila can be daunting. What if you just want a no-frills everyday commuter that’s still safe and solidly-built? What if you don’t need any of the extra trimmings and just want to get to the meat of the matter. Well, the Toyota Yaris 1.5G is for you.

Toyota Reaches Highest Monthly Sales Record in October

The number one car company in the country has reached its highest monthly sales record registering 10,163 units last October. This is the first time any local car brand experienced such performance in terms of vehicle sales. On a year-to-date basis, TMPC has registered a growth of 41.92% vs previous year selling a total of 86,794 units and already surpassing its 2013 sales level. Likewise, TMPC’s YTD market share of 45.2% for the first 10 months of 2014.

Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC), the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines, once again reinforces BMW’s continued dominance in the premium automotive segment by holding its biggest selling event for the year, the BMW XPO 2014. From November 14-16, BMW will be hosting an exciting weekend that will allow BMW fans and the general motoring public to experience the best of BMW.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) recently announced to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that it will conduct a safety recall inspection campaign on the ASX, Outlander, Lancer Evolution and Lancer EX models, as part of the recall campaign earlier announced by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Japan.

Photo by Ulysses Ang

Despite fluctuating temperatures and a heavy thunderstorm, 99 local and regional finalists remained undeterred at the end of day two of The MediaCorp Subaru Challenge 2014 - The Asian Face-Off.

All vying for the coveted prize of a Subaru car, participants have to keep their right palm firmly on one of ten Subaru Imprezas at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. A total of 53 regional finalists were still in the running as day two came to a close.

Winners of 2014-2015 Auto Focus People's Choice and Media's Choice Awards Announced

The Philippine automotive market’s best-selling standard and luxury models, the Toyota Vios subcompact and the Lexus IS 350 luxury compact sedan, garnered the coveted “Automobile of the Year” title in their respective categories at the Awards Night of the “2014-2015 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards” (AFPCA).

Give the most practical Christmas gifts for family, friends, and colleagues who will be travelling about during this busy time of the year. Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer of the Caltex fuel and lubricants, is now offering its limited-edition, StarCash Christmas fuel cards in denominations of P300, P500 and P1,000 from October 15, 2014 – January 31, 2015. The pre-paid cards can be used to purchase fuel, lubricants, and services at Caltex stations.

Ford Philippines today announced its best-ever performance for the month of October with total retail sales increasing 52 percent year-over-year to 1,950 units. Sales across Ford’s lineup in the Philippines helped drive the record month, including continuing strength in demand for the Ranger, EcoSport and Everest nameplates.

Photo by Ulysses Ang

The MediaCorp Subaru Challenge 2014 - The Asian Face-Off, now in its 13th year, kick-started today with contenders struggling against harsh weather conditions to outlast each other. The blistering heat and humid temperatures early in the afternoon proved too much for some contestants, resulting in only 176 remaining with a chance of winning a Subaru XV worth P 1,298,000.

Subaru Palm Challenge 2014 Kicks Off at Ngee Ann City

Photo by Ulysses Ang

The region’s most anticipated endurance challenge kicked off today at Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza at exactly 1 PM. The Subaru Palm Challenge, now in its 13th year, sees 400 contestants from Singapore, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam gathering for the final qualifying round of the MediaCorp Subaru Challenge, for the chance of winning a Subaru XV 2.0i worth P 1,298,000.

Win a Brand-New Mitsubishi Mirage by Simply Playing a Game

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) is taking its digital campaign to an exciting spin with the Mirage Eco Dash Game application.

Click here for the full launch story and here for Everest factoids.

Ford released photos and a short video offering a sneak preview of its latest global vehicle, the new Ford Everest.

Ford will unveil the new Ford Everest at a special media event in Beijing on Thursday, November 13, 2014.

Review: 2014 Chevrolet Trailblazer LTX

Photos by Ulysses Ang

How much will P 100,000 get you these days? Well, if you were to believe online sellers, that’s the admission price of a brand-new Apple iPhone 6 Plus. And while some won’t bat an eyelid spending a hundred grand on a large white brick (well, gray or gold if you prefer) that bends, for a huge chunk of the population, you’re better off spending that cash somewhere else. Though I cannot speak as your personal financial consultant, I happen to stumble upon one of the best value offerings in the 7-seater diesel SUV category: the Chevrolet Trailblazer LTX.

BYD, AAP Enter Customer Service Partnership

The Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), the country’s national auto club, and Chinese carmaker, BYD, recently entered into a partnership, which forms part of the BYD Five-Star Customer Service Program. Present at the contract signing were Augusto C. Lagman, president, and Jacinto M. Mantaring, Jr., chairperson, membership and admin committee, who represented AAP, while Mark Tieng and Jose Paolo “Popo” Soriano, Star Corp. managing director and general manager, respectively, represented BYD.

On the fence whether you’re getting a Volkswagen or not? The search could very well be over as Volkswagen takes part in the 2014 Auto Focus Christmas Test Drive Festival happening from November 6 to 9 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds.

Despite being the unfortunate victim of the LTFRB’s Jurassic-era laws and mandates, Uber, the revolutionary car sharing company has just announced a new service that will move people, especially those with disabilities, around Manila in a safe and reliable manner.

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