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

Sunday morning – chill out at home, do some errands and prepare for our Monday shoot. Well, that was supposed to be the plan. Instead, I’m facing a red velvet cupcake, feeling the fresh daytime breeze brush against my face. The petite pastry is one of the best-sellers at Naro, which is located on the Binmaley Baywalk in Pangasinan. Its rich buttercream complements the crumbly, auburn dough. “In Pangasinense, naro ta ka means ‘I love you,’” said my dear friend and Pangasinan native Zeb Jimenez. T

At some point or another, during your elementary and high school days, there was one student who always got a big chunk of the achievement awards. In a similar vein (albeit in the Philippine auto industry setting), that student is Toyota Motor Philippines. According to information gleaned from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI), which is the largest automotive group in the country, Toyota once again dominated in 2022 by having eight of the top 10 models and nine o

Although the rear-wheel-drive Mazda CX-60 and Mazda CX-90 have been hogging the headlines recently, Mazda has another sharp-looking crossover. The Mazda CX-50 isn’t poised to take on the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz unlike its larger stablemates. Instead, it uses a larger version of the excellent-handling, front-wheel-drive Mazda3 platform and is a bit larger than the Mazda CX-5 crossover. But the mere fact that Mazda has just introduced the CX-50 in China and has assigned local assembly to th

For many, vehicle safety isn’t that big of a deal. Most car buyers look at space, practicality, convenience features, and, of course, price. But how well a car performs in a road crash becomes extremely vital the moment you and your loved ones actually get into a crash. The money you may have saved by getting a less safe model may result in you paying the ultimate price – your life or the lives of the people you care about. That’s why organizations like the non-profit ASEAN New Car Assessment Pr

Truly, Chinese automobile brands are making noise in the local market as they introduce their promising models at an affordable price. There are Chinese brands that are present for the past years already in the country, including the Geely. But this 2022, another brand from China attempts to conquer the Japanese automotive veterans and its other Chinese automotive rivals in the Philippines – the Changan. For the past few years, subcompact crossover Geely Coolray has rapidly increased its sales a