It's an all-woman-driven Dakar 2024 Astara campaign as the Spanish mobility company is set to field two entries in the treacherous desert race this coming January 5 to 19, 2024. Set to drive the Astara 02 Concept, Laia Sanz and Patricia Pita will have co-drivers Maurizio Gerini and Paolo Boggioni, respectively, to guide them through the 12 stages crossing the Saudi Arabian desert. Astara, for those who do not know yet, is the distributor of Peugeot and GAC in the Philippines. It also operates in

GAC Motor Philippines is expanding its presence by opening a new dealership in Cainta Rizal. The opening of the new facility took the esteemed presence of top executives from the GAC Management Group (China), its local distributor Astara Philippines, and the Gateway Group. Astara Philippines Managing Director Raoul Picello, who was at the event, thanked the Gateway Group for their support, investment, and belief in the GAC brand. “It's through a partnership like ours that we can achieve great th

GAC Philippines has reached another significant milestone in the Philippines, surpassing 1,000 units in total retail sales for 2023 - a record achievement for the automaker since being under the global mobility company Astara. GAC Motor achieved year-to-date retail sales of 1,017 units as of August. The figures are likewise reflected on the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) database. The 1000+ sales is evidence of the brand’s growing popularity in the country. T

This year’s auto industry rigodon has new participants. Astara Philippines, the multinational mobility distributor that handles the local operations of Peugeot and GAC Motor, announced in an August 2023 press statement that it has appointed two well-renowned executives in key leadership positions. Timmy Naval-de Leon, who was formerly head of corporate communications of the Ayala Corporation’s automotive arm AC Motors for nine years, is now Astara Phiippines’ new marketing director. Naval-de Leo

Disclaimer, GAC Philippines lent us the GAC Emkoo GE with a full gas tank for 15 days with access to its two RFID cards. The GAC Philippines debuted the 2023 GAC Emkoo at the 2023 Manila International Auto Show. It's part of the brand’s growing crossover portfolio in the Philippines as it seeks to take a bigger piece out of the local market with Astara Philippines backing it up. The new Emkoo brought futuristic styling to the motor show, turbocharged power, and many new features to attract the c

Hybrid vehicles are becoming popular in the Philippine market, with more and more automakers bringing their examples to the car-buying public. We have recent entries into the segment from the Chinese such as the Haval Jolion (Specs | News) and Haval H6, and even more from the Japanese, such as the Toyota Corolla, Corolla Cross, RAV4, Zenix, Yaris Cross, and Nissan Kicks, each trying to get a piece of the lucrative pie, especially with the ever-increasing fuel prices. While many are curious about