When the opportunity for a long weekend presents itself, you take it as a break from your busy work week. It's a great time to go on a road trip or catch up with friends. That’s precisely what I did with my recent Hyundai Stargazer test unit on loan. It was the perfect opportunity to test if the South Korean 7-seater had what it took to be the ultimate “barkada” mobile and if it had what it took to be a proper multi-purpose vehicle. The road trip we would embark on would start in Quezon City and

Mazda Philippines is shooting for the stars (including “three-pointed” ones) with the launch of the all-new CX-60 crossover on June 9, 2023. Launched globally on April 2022, the five-seater rides on a completely new Skyactiv platform designed for rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive applications. The Philippines will get the 3.3-liter inline-six gasoline and the turbodiesel Sport variants. The company said aside from targeting current Mazda CX-5 owners who want to move upmarket, the CX-60 positi

Rumors have been circulating since the Manila International Auto Show last April that The Covenant Car Company Inc.(TCCCI), the current official distributor of MG vehicles in the country, will only have until July 2023 to handle the brand. The brand's presentation in MIAS sounded like a farewell roll call of the top executives of the company who led it through the last five years and a thank you to all its dealer and bank partners and 600-strong sales agent complement. As to why TCCCI management

Hybrid vehicles have slowly begun to become popular in the Philippine market. Automakers are increasingly releasing these kinds of cars, hoping to capitalize on the growing demand. Recent additions to the Philippine market include the likes of the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, Haval H6 and the Haval Jolion. Meanwhile, the likes of the Geely Okavango and the recently launched Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid are classified as "mild" hybrid vehicles. But just how do mild hybrids work? Wh

Astara Philippines, the country's exclusive distributor of Peugeot and GAC Motor vehicles, has announced three new senior leadership appointments to handle its automotive brands. These three key appointments begin with Franz Decloedt as Marketing Director for Astara Philippines, handling Peugeot and GAC Motor; Michael John del Pilar as Sales Director for Peugeot Philippines; and Ryan Bermudez as Sales Director for GAC Motor Philippines. “I am thrilled to welcome Franz, MJ, and Ryan to Astara Phi

The hand that rocks the cradle are not the typical pair of hands one would usually spot on messing around with the greasy mechanical innards of the squeaky-clean er, say, Ford Ecosport. WHAT IS FORD ECOSPORT? In a sense, was a one-shot deal hatched by the visionary collective heads of those prime car magnates from Blue Oval, an exciting place dead-set on ruminating about mass-producing EVs (electric vehicles) by the truckload that would probably be operational by the year 2025, or so they say. B