“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

Filipino car buyers who want seven seats and a Honda badge right now can turn to the highly competent Honda BR-V. That’s because the current-generation Honda CR-V will officially be replaced on Sept. 13, 2023. AutoFun Philippines was the first to report that the latest version of the venerable crossover would arrive this year with an all-new hybrid engine. However, this means that the top-spec CR-V’s economical turbodiesel engine and (rather tight) third-row seat will also bid farewell. But it s

The sun may have returned last week, but there are still those occasional downpours that make me always have an umbrella ready. Nonetheless, the last few days have remained hot as ever in the car scene, largely with the launch of all-new models in the most important automotive segments in the country. Check out your top five stories from August 7 to 11, 2023, in this Sunday’s edition of the AutoFun Philippines Rearview Roundup. Honey, I shrunk the Corolla Cross It’s been pretty much everywhere i

Recent rumblings in the automotive industry talk about Chinese brands changing management hands. And from what we've heard, there will be a few. But why do the principals feel the sudden need to come in lock, stock, and barrel to take over the Filipino-run local distributorships? Haven't they done enough to promote the brand? Did the distributors fall short of sales targets? Or have the distributors failed in the perception game despite the uptick in Chinese-made cars' build, tech and quality in

Disclosure: Honda Cars Philippines Inc. kindly lent me a 2023 Honda BR-V S CVT for nine days. It arrived with a full tank of gas and loaded RFID cards. The company also treated me and other motoring media to breakfast, snacks, and lunch during the BR-V media drive. AutoFun Philippines paid for additional fuel, RFID load, and a carwash. When I was in college, I owned an Isuzu Hi-Lander. Those of you old enough to remember that car would know that it was the boxy predecessor to the venerable Isuzu

The all-new Honda BR-V has been officially launched. And here are the prices of each variant: 1.5 S MT - ₱ 1,090,000 1.5 S CVT - ₱1,150,000 1.5 V CVT - ₱1,295,000 1.5 VX CVT - ₱1,390,000 It is a particularly important model for Honda Cars Philippines Inc. because it is the Japanese carmaker’s entry in the hotly-contested subcompact, seven-seater multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) segment. The BR-V also enters the fray weeks after the official launch of Hyundai’s four-wheel spaceship, the Stargazer MPV.