With the closure of all their showrooms and service centers nationwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Motor Image Pilipinas, the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the country has made the decision to extend PMS and warranties.

Ford Philippines is deploying its Ford Transit vans to help transport medical and healthcare front liners amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine that saw the suspension of public transportation in Luzon.

Kia Motors Corporation will have a new president. Ho-sung Song, currently Kia’s Head of Global Operations Division will take over on April 1.

As its way of recognizing the efforts of Filipinos, particularly at its hometown of Santa Rosa City, Laguna, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) lent out L300 shuttle units through the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

San Miguel Corporation is waiving toll on all its expressways for medical front liners working tirelessly to save lives in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Motoring media events are being canceled left and right due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. One such canceled event is the all-new Land Rover Defender 110’s international ride and drive event. However, instead of idling these units though, Land Rover actually put them to good use.

McLaren is opening a new chapter for their “Longtail” series with the introduction of the 765LT—a car so obsessed with losing weight, the carmaker’s engineers went through excessive lengths just for the grams.

Nissan Philippines has finally released a statement regarding vehicles with expiring warranties during this period of Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Chevron Philippines, Inc. (Caltex) together with Chevron Holdings, Inc. (CHI) teamed up to donate cash and fuel amounting to P 1 million to provide for the safe transport and equipment to front liners and health workers in the fight against COVID-19.

Last year, Nissan introduced an updated Navara for 2020 which made its debut first in Europe. Subsequently, it’s made its way to Asia in markets such as Thailand and Australia as well. With that, Nissan’s always opted to dress up their Navara based on local tastes—Australia has the N-Trek, while for Asia, there’s the Black Edition. And here’s a sneak peek of the fresh for 2020 edition.

One hundred years ago, Popular Mechanics magazine predicted that “radio equipment for automobiles is not far away.” They were right. In 1922, Westinghouse installed one of its radios in a “Chevrolet for Campers” concept to the delight of the era’s media. A decade later, Chevrolet introduced factory-installed radios in its cars.

We can’t wait for 2021. Despite increased pressure to adopt more zero emissions vehicles, Japanese carmakers aren’t forgetting enthusiasts. Aside from Toyota and Subaru firming up details on their next-generation 86 / BRZ sportscar, Nissan has just given us the first solid indication that an all-new Z sportscar is happening.

As the country’s undisputed number one car brand, it’s no surprise that Toyota Motor Philippines has the largest press fleet around. When the Enhanced Community Quarantine hit though, these units were all grounded, until now.

With the current Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ nearing the end of its lifecycle, rumors are starting to swirl about its replacement. Confirmed that the collaboration between Toyota and Subaru will continue for the second-generation model, there are now reports that it’ll pack more power, ride on a new platform, and for Toyota, a brand-new badge.

Foton Philippines, the best-selling Chinese commercial vehicle brand in the Philippines is joining Japanese and American carmakers (yes, the Korean ones except for SsangYong have been mum) in extending auto loan due dates, expiring warranties, and adding grace periods to missed Periodic Maintenance Service due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

There are COVID-19 marketing gimmicks, and then there are true signs of ingenuity. At a time when American carmakers were getting beat when it comes to car tech, they’ve shown that in a time of a crisis, they still have the engineering mojo to come up with all sorts of practical solutions.

In response to the global spread of COVID-19, Mazda has decided to adjust production at their production facilities globally in consideration of difficulties in parts procurement, plummeting sales in overseas markets, and the uncertainty of future markets.

Phoenix Petroleum, the first independent oil company and the fastest-growing and leading independent oil company in the Philippines, recently made known efforts it has undertaken to join the fight against COVID-19.

Aston Martin has released the first details of its in-house designed V6 engine which will replace the Mercedes-AMG-sourced V8s on its mid-engined sportscars from 2022.

Codenamed TM01, it’s Aston Martin’s first in-house designed engine since 1968. The 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 is electrified from the get-go. With that, the it promises to have more power and torque than ever before. The final figures are determined by the characteristic of each application, but it should at least match the current 503 horsepower, 685 Nm of torque outputs made by the M177 Mercedes-AMG engine.


Taking learnings from the Aston Martin Valkyrie project, the new V6 is developed with a “hot V” structure. This makes for a compact engine weighing less than 200 kilograms in total.

Naturally, the engine will be positioned directly behind the driver’s cabin and equipped with a dry sump system to guarantee the lowest possible center of gravity. The system will also deliver exceptional lubrication performance even during on-limit, high-speed cornering. It’s also designed to meet up to Euro 7 emissions requirements.

The new Aston Martin V6 engine will debut first on the Valhalla.

The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI), the exclusive distributor of Chevrolet vehicles in the Philippines joins other carmakers in offering both a grace period for missed Periodic Maintenance Service (PMS) and warranty extensions due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

It was a pledge even Akio Toyoda couldn’t keep. A few days after announcing to the world that Japanese automakers will “do all they can to remain producing cars and trucks,” Toyota announced that they’ll be idling five Japanese plants beginning April 3.

There are great measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 such as Work from Home (WFH), proper personal hygiene, regular sanitation, and social distancing; then there are useless gimmicks like this.

Ford has opted to suspend the vehicle and engine production at its International Markets Group (IMG) manufacturing sites including Thailand which makes vehicles such as the Ranger and Everest.

Petron Corporation is assuring its consumers that there will be a continuous supply of petroleum products as the entire nation steps up its fight against COVID-19.

A week into the community quarantine, Isuzu Philippines Corporation is following the lead of Mazda, Honda, Toyota, and Ford in extending its warranty and offering a grace period for those who missed or will miss their Periodic Maintenance Service (PMS).

Life in China is slowly getting back to normal after being the first country to get hit by COVID-19. As they report fewer cases, no one is taking any chances this time around. Cleanliness that borders on mysophobia (also known as germaphobia) and social distancing are now the norm. Just take a look at how Geely is handling the situation.

MG Philippines’s surprising big hit (and landslide bestseller), the MG ZS just got a substantial refresh in its home market of China. For 2020, it gets a massaged exterior aesthetic, revamped interior, a pair of brand-new engines, and the company’s first crack at autonomous driving tech.

The beautiful Mazda RX-Vision Concept is finally going racing, well at least virtually as it rolls out of the newest Gran Turismo game, GT Sport this May 25.

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) pledged that assembly plants in Japan “would do all they can to remain producing cars and trucks” in spite of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Suzuki has just launched a refreshed version of its Dzire sub-compact sedan in India, and with that will only be a matter of time before it reaches the Philippines.

Following Honda Cars Philippines’s lead, two other automakers have announced extensions to either their warranties and/or an additional grace period for those with scheduled Periodic Maintenance Service.

SMC Tollways has assigned priority lanes at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to ensure efficient delivery of basic goods and emergency health services to and from Metro Manila and neighboring provinces in the south.

Two days after we reported that Geely Auto is launching an innovative in-car air filtration system, called the Intelligent Air Purification System (IAPS), Sojitz G Auto Philippines, the distributor of Geely in the Philippines has confirmed that its upcoming Azkarra compact SUV will come fitted with the new system.

Volkswagen is now allowing owners of its classic T1 Samba Bus to convert it to run on a zero emissions elective motor.

Good news to all Honda car owners who may have their Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) scheduled or warranty expiring during the Enhanced Community Quarantine: Honda Cars Philippines has just announced an extension for both of them.

Heads up, Subarists—if you’re waiting for their first three-row SUV, the Subaru Evoltis, you may have to wait a bit longer.

F*ck COVID-19. It seems Europeans still have an insatiable appetite when it comes to hot hatches. With news that only 100 Civic Type R Limited Edition units have been allocated for the European market, it only took a month to sell out.

Formula 1 is now scrambling to fix the rest of the 2020 race calendar due to the COVID-19 outbreak affecting the world.

Taking Toyota Motor Philippines’s lead in deferring auto loan payments by 30 days, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines has now done the same due to the COVID-19 Enhanced Community Quarantine imposed on the entire area of Luzon.

Toyota is refreshing its A-segment hatchback, the Wigo for 2020. The Japanese carmaker has given it a sharper look outside and improved interior materials inside. The refresh, which was just launched in Indonesia, is also coming to the Philippine market within the year.

Aside from debuting an all-new platform and a striking new look, Hyundai is pushing tech as one of the Elantra’s key pillars. And one of its more unusual features is this: the Hyundai Digital Key.

Mazda has opted to postpone its Open Day 2020 event in light of the COVID-19 outbreak that’s affecting the world.

Kia was supposed to give the world a better look at its all-new 2021 Sorento. Sadly, COVID-19 got in the way, and now we just have to settle at this deluge of photos and videos from the Korean carmaker.

The U.S. “Big Three” will now idle their manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico at least until the end of the month due to COVID-19.

UPDATE: Toyota Motor Philippines has released guidelines. See below (3/20).

In light of the current COVID-19 situation, Toyota Financial Services Philippines Corporation TFSPH has taken the lead and given eligible customers a 30-day payment extension.

How’s this for a timely feature? Chinese car brand, Geely Auto has announced that all future vehicles will be equipped with an on-board air filtration system that can keep harmful particulates such as the coronavirus from their vehicle’s internal air environment.

Six years since its introduction, BMW is bidding adieu to its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the i8.

COVID-19 isn’t stopping Hyundai from pulling the covers off the all-new 2021 Elantra compact sedan. Marking the world debut of the Hyundai’s popular compact sedan, the Elantra showcases Hyundai’s latest ambitions including a new design language, hybrid-electric tech, and a segment first wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.