With the 2019 Manila International Auto Show around just two weeks away, it’s interesting to see which brands are present and which ones are not. Since we happen to see a copy of the floor plan, we can tell you for sure which brands will be displaying their wares this April 4 to 7, 2019 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

The Wrangler has been a very strong seller for Jeep dealer CATS Motors since its Philippine market debut in 2010. With the JK, as the third-generation model is referred to, replaced by the all-new fourth-generation JL last week, we had to get the low-down on the possibility of seeing the diesel variants on local roads once more, and even possibly, the Gladiator pickup truck.

Mitsubishi is wasting no time bringing out a sportier version of their recently-launched Strada / TRITON / L200 pickup truck. Headlining their display at the 40th Bangkok International Motor Show at the end of March is what the Japanese carmaker says is, “a car ABSOLUTELY Beyond Tough.” [All caps emphasis is Mitsubishi’s, not ours).

Nissan Philippines is now offering a bolder version of its Navara pickup truck with the introduction of the Navara N-Warrior Edition. Building from its success as one of the country’s best-selling pickup trucks, the Navara N-Warrior Edition brings stylish aesthetics upgrades.

Great news to all Mazda owners: there’s a great way to perk your mornings with free coffee courtesy of Shell (see full list of participating stations below).

The second staging of the Motul 300V Superfast event was a resounding success as the country’s fastest supercars and tuner cars took to the Clark International Speedway in a flurry of speed.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines reported strong sales for the first two months of 2019, selling 6,537 vehicles of a 16.2 percent increase over the same period in 2018.

Auto Nation Group, the general distributor of Jeep vehicles in the Philippines announces a price reduction on its “baby” Jeep, the Renegade which is valid at all dealerships until the end of March 2019.

How do you take an already legendary workhorse like the Ford Ranger and make it even better? By equipping it with one of the most advanced powertrains in the world. After developing the new powertrain for the high-performance Ranger Raptor, Ford engineers knew they had something special and decided to make it available across the Ranger line-up. With improved quality, efficiency, and performance, the new powertrain is Ford engineering at its finest.

“Last year, I asked my team if getting into the top 10 auto brands is feasible. Sabi nila, kayang-kaya.  And true enough, we were able to deliver. I am beyond grateful because my vision for Foton is now turning into reality,” said Foton Motor Philippines Inc. (FMPI) President Rommel Sytin.

If you’ve been paying attention or at least glancing through a lot of Nissan news, chances are, you’ll notice that their all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, is always stylized as “LEAF.” While this sounds shouty to some keyboard warriors, there’s actually a reason Nissan’s spelling out the Leaf as the “LEAF.”

Driving after dark can be dangerous, with contributing factors such as compromised night vision, rush hour congestion, fatigue and impaired drivers tripling the risk of a fatal crash, according to safety experts.

About a month from now, the 15th edition of the Manila International Auto Show or MIAS will open its doors once more at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. Slated for April 4 to 7, 2019, this year’s MIAS will have the theme of “Experience the Fun and Function,” highlighting the two primary reasons that compel people to visit a car show.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary as the exclusive Philippine distributor of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and RAM vehicles in the country, Auto Nation Group brings the much-awaited 2019 Wrangler—the most capable SUV and the undisputed icon of American freedom.

Nissan’s luxury division, Infiniti has announced that they will be withdrawing from Western Europe and will be concentrating their efforts instead on the two largest markets in the world, North America and China.

Soon, there will be a Toyota on the moon as the Japanese carmaker and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced a collaboration that’ll bring a manned, pressurized rover there. Toyota hopes to further its fuel cell electric vehicle technologies by equipping this manned rover with a cruising range of more than 10,000 kilometers.

After opening its showroom last November 2018, DAF Philippines, a subsidiary of Pioneer Truck Parts and Equipment officially inaugurated its parts and warehouse facility in Laguna.

The year 2019 has just started and there is no better way to welcome the new year than setting and achieving your life goals, such as finally getting your own car. This dream can be daunting, but you may want to consider pre-owned cars and work with a reliable bank to make this dream come true.

After being late to the EV party, Volkswagen looks to be catching up in a very big way with its Modular Electric Drive Matrix or MEB platform. Created for the German carmaker’s new line of all-electric vehicles, they’ve shown its flexibility by plopping it onto a dune buggy body with the Volkswagen ID. Buggy.

Most people are aware of MAZDASPEED—Mazda’s in-house performance division responsible for motorsports and even the creation of high-performance versions of some of their road cars. It started as a grassroots racing team in Japan, but was absorbed as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1999.

Hyundai is Bose’s newest automotive customer as the Korean carmaker announced its availability on the all-new 2020 Sonata executive sedan. This marks the first time the two companies have joined forces.

Nissan has announced that they have begun testing their Invisible-to-Visible (I2V) technology thanks to a partnership with Japanese telecom giant, NTT DOCOMO.

SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp., the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines, continues the success story of the BMW X5 as it makes the newest generation available to the local market. The fourth iteration of the BMW X5 embodies this model’s typical characteristics: versatility, sovereignty, and luxury.

Filipino families rejoice, Suzuki Philippines has heard your call and they’re making the 2019 Ertiga available in a new, easy-to-clean interior color scheme: black. Meet the Suzuki Ertiga Black Edition and it’s now available at all Suzuki Auto dealerships nationwide.

Maxxis Tires brings to the Philippines the latest addition to its motorbike tire portfolio, the M-6161W.

Michelin Tire, the French tire manufacturer, has launched a collaboration with Uniql for its The Brands Masterpiece series from the Spring & Summer Collection of the UT T-shirt brand.

Brake specialist Brembo is almost synonymous with the color red. And while you can get their calipers in a wide gamut of colors aside from red like black, silver, and even neon yellow, they’re reminding carmakers and aftermarket tuners that they can be much more creative.

Shown at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the Brembo Art Calipers are some peculiarly styled calipers finished in camo, animal print, and many more.


While Brembo says the exhibit is meant to show that they’re “playing with the latest trend in fashion, art, style, and design,” they also said that they have no plans to mass produce these “art calipers” for now. However, it serves as a reminder to carmakers and even aftermarket tuners about the infinite possibilities Brembo can do with something as mundane as a brake caliper.

It’s almost impossible to think an animal-print brake caliper will appear in the next high-performance supercar or luxury SUV any time soon, but expect more of these art calipers to crop up at aftermarket shows around the world.

The Isuzu D-MAX is known for effortless power and outstanding efficiency and the 2019 model continues that legacy with pride.

Everyone grows old, it’s inevitable; the difference lies in how people react to it—some resist the change, while others embrace it. Now on its fifth-generation model, the 2019 Subaru Forester lies squarely in the latter. Gone are the days of him being free-spirited and a slightly quirky young gun; this one takes his vitamins every morning and a chamomile tea every night, especially if he’s had too much to eat. Gone are the days of late-night raves, now he has to be at bed by 9 PM. In short, the Forester’s now hit the midlife, and he’s fully embraced it. He’s the Tito of Compact SUVs, and he doesn’t care.

Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations revealed the latest version of its armored Range Rover Sentinel, which now features more power, unparalleled refinement, all-terrain capability, and the latest in occupant protection.