Disclosure: Chery Philippines lent us the 2024 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro e+ PHEV unit for seven days with a full tank of gas, a 70% charge on the battery and access to its RFID cards. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are the happy medium between a fully electric vehicle and an internal combustion engine. These give you the flexibility to travel on electric power alone, without worrying about where to charge next, thanks to the engine being on standby to keep you moving and to charge the battery.

Setting up a car brand from scratch can be a daunting task. Aside from satisfying government and regulatory requirements, anyone planning to bring in a foreign brand will be faced with a number of difficult challenges along the way. That is why most automotive brands prefer to partner with a local distributor. Filipinos who run the distributorship are presumed to know the ins and outs of setting up the company, dealing with government agencies, hiring the right people, establishing systems and p

Chinese cars have flooded the Philippine market and many other countries around the globe. It is because Chinese automakers have found ways to undercut the competition by offering quality vehicles that are more affordable but have features comparable to or even better than their Japanese, European, and American counterparts. But the question is, how has China evolved so quickly to produce quality, feature-rich, and, most importantly, cheap vehicles so customers can afford them? Lower production

The last time we reported on Spanish-based car distributor Astara, it was finalizing its plans to enter the grueling 2023 Dakar Rally. But the company announced more relevant news in a December 1, 2022 press statement following its formal contract signing with Chinese carmaker GAC Motor in the Philippines. Astara began operations locally on January 2022 and distributes the French car brand Peugeot. The firm also distributes GAC Motor in Peru and Chile. “We are truly honored to continue GAC Motor

After lackluster sales in the past few years, Great Wall Motor has finally appointed a new distributor in Luxuriant Automotive Group Inc. (LAGI). The partnership was formally inked last October 26th during distributorship signing ceremonies at the Marco Polo Ortigas. LAGI is associated with Luxuriant Philmarketing, which distributes Sailun and Zeneos tires along with Advanti, PDW, and Enkei wheels. Lilian Cui, General Manager of Great Wall Motors' Philippines Project, and Ruben Tan, President of

If you think Lexus is a brand that caters only to middle-aged men, loaded car enthusiasts, and company CEOs, then you must not have heard of the UX yet. Lexus considers the UX subcompact crossover as its gateway model, meaning it is the most affordable crossover in the lot. It still showcases the brand’s design and technologies despite being in the lower tier of the lineup. But there’s nothing much lower-tier about the Lexus UX as it now sports a Hybrid Electric powertrain under the hood for 202