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

Resurgence is the word that perhaps best characterizes how GAC Motor Philippines is doing nowadays. Ever since multinational automotive distributor Astara took over local operations on December 2022, the Chinese car brand’s image and vehicle lineup have gotten a huge boost amid the surge of new cars from the People’s Republic. GAC Motor Philippines’ improved fortunes are also being helped by the recent appointment of highly respected industry veterans Franz Decloedt and Timmy De Leon, who serve

“In this business, you gotta have a tough skin.” This is what Visor.Ph Editor-in-Chief Vernon Sarne told me at last week's BMW M2 launch event. Chief, as I fondly call him to this day (he got me to join Top Gear Philippines magazine as a cover photographer and writer back in 2010), has seen it all and has been through wars ordinary people would have waived the white flag early on. The mental and physical stress this job entails can be too much for someone who cares about his craft. So when we he

After three years, the newest version of the highly successful Ford Territory, which sold more than 20,000 units, is finally here. Ford Philippines launched the latest-generation Territory at the 2023 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS). This includes a premium variant – the Territory Titanium X. “We are delighted to officially launch the Next-Gen Territory today at the Manila International Auto Show in response to the growing clamor and demand from our customers and enthusiasts,” said Ford Ph

Get the chance to check out the latest Geely models while you’re shopping in Pasig City. Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corporation (SGAP), the official importer and distributor of Geely in the Philippines, said in a February 2023 press statement that it opened an in-mall dealership at Ayala Malls the 30th. This is the second in-mall showroom that the Chinese car brand has set up, following the opening of the SM Taytay branch in Rizal in 2022. The company said the Ayala Malls dealer will be managed b

(Images from Ford PH) Owning a dream car for first time buyers who have rose-colored glasses may overlook what it really means to have a car. One may think of a fantasy where cars are sleek and shiny from day 1 until the end of time. Often, people just look at the price of the vehicle and not the whole cost or budget of owning one. Crucially, a car owner must also look at the price of ensuring the vehicle is on tip-top condition, to extend its performance, and in turn, value, in the long run. En