Hyundai Philippines recently launched the 2024 Hyundai Custin and the 2024 Hyundai Stargazer X in a joint event, strengthening its lineup of 7-seater vehicles in the country. Aside from this, the South Korean brand also launched a new 9-seater version of the Hyundai Staria and a 6-seater version of the regular Hyundai Stargazer. AutoFun Philippines likewise got more information about Hyundai’s future plans in the country. We were able to ask someone with intimate knowledge of the company's opera

Disclaimer: Hyundai Philippines lent us a Hyundai Staria unit for a week with a full tank of gas and access to its RFID cards. Remember when Hyundai Philippines launched the Hyundai Starex? It was a hit for the South Korean automaker as it saw a second generation. However, Hyundai had to discontinue the Starex nameplate and replace it with the 2023 Hyundai Staria, its new replacement. We had on loan the family-oriented GLS+ version, which seats 11 passengers but has retained a row of captain sea

Simulator racing (sim racing for short) has grown immensely in popularity, especially when the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 meant trackdays and races were temporarily shuttered. Among the biggest sim racing organizers is Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), which has extended the success of its long-running Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Cup one-make series into the digital world. TMP announced in a June 2023 press statement that it will broadcast Round 1 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Gran Turismo (TGR GT) Cup

Local automakers got a big shot in the arm after the Philippine government extended the timeframe of its ₱27-billion program to boost domestic car manufacturing. The Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) announced in a May 2023 press statement that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved a five-year extension to the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program. PSAC is composed of business leaders and experts across six main sectoral groups: Agriculture, Digital Infrastructur

Changan Motors Philippines, Inc. (CMPI) is confident for 2023 as it celebrated a whopping 222-percent sales growth from 2021 to 2022. The Chinese carmaker said in a Jan. 16, 2023 press statement that it sold 1,787 units in 2022, up from 557 units the year before. The brand also celebrates its goal of hitting 100 percent of its sales target for wholesale as well. The brand’s two best-sellers lead the pack in sales, the Changan Alsvin sedan and the Changan CS35 Plus crossover. “We started 2022 str

The first time the Nissan Grand Livina entered the Philippine market in 2008, it was a three-row hatchback based on the Nissan Tiida platform. It was ahead of its time in many ways, as it offered car-like handling and seating for seven. Typical of what crossovers provide today. As head of the marketing team of Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc (NMPI) at that time, I was tasked to find ways to slot such a strange vehicle concept into the MPV-crazy consciousness of Filipino car buyers. The 2008 Nissan