April 2025 | CarGuide.PH | Philippine Car News, Car Reviews, Car Prices

April 30, 2025

Mercedes-Benz PH To Launch 2 Plug-In Hybrids This May

Mercedes-Benz Philippines is reversing on its all-electric goals by announcing that two plug-in hybrids will be joining the line-up this May.

Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) concluded the 20th edition of its annual Isuzu Service Skills Olympics (ISSO), a nationwide competition among its dealership network, held on April 26, 2025. More than just a competition, the ISSO serves as a platform for growth, learning, and continuous improvement for Isuzu’s dealer network in aftersales service.

Coming from a storied lineage of special, sharpened version of mid-engined Ferrari supercars like the 360 Challenge Stradale, F430 Scuderia, and 458 Speciale, the Prancing Horse brand just unveiled the lighter, faster, more agile 296 Speciale (watch our first impressions of the 296 GTS).

The City of Valenzuela is going electric has it took delivery of 41 BYD Dolphin EVs to be used as patrol cars to serve various communities in the area. The milestone marks Valenzuela as the first local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines to operate the largest EV police fleet.

Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc. (HMPH) continues working towards its promise to ensure customers’ safe travels by updating its Roadside Assistance program. Under this, Hyundai owners who encounter problems on the road can avail of emergency towing, minor on-site repairs, and other personal auto-related services.

After showing it off as a mildly-disguised concept form in March last year, Isuzu has now shown what the production version of the D-Max EV has looked it. It has also revealed its key specifications ahead of its market launch in early 2026.

Nissan Turned The Kicks e-Power Into A Blank Canvas For Street Art

Nissan Philippines participated in the 2025 Meeting of Styles Philippines held at TLC Park in Taguig City from April 25 to 27. This international street art festival brought together artists from around the globe to celebrate bold creativity and daring designs.

You now have to pay to use ACMobility’s charging network in Cebu. After rolling out the paid model in Metro Manila late last year, EV owners in Visayas will now have to do the same.

BYD Cars Philippines and ACMobility are teaming up to accelerate Cebu’s transition to electric mobility. This as the two Ayala-owned companies are taking the “One Vision, Two Forces” as a blueprint to electrification.

Omoda and Jaecoo Motor Philippines is one dealership closer to accomplishing their countrywide expansion goal this year with the opening of their largest local dealership and showroom to date. Omoda and Jaecoo Pasig is in partnership with Semicon Motors Trading Inc. The 400-square meter dealership is located in the Semicon Corporate Building along Marcos Highway, Pasig City.

GAC Motor Philippines continues its network expansion strategy with the inauguration of GAC Motor Matina in partnership with FAS Motors Inc.

KORAIL To Provide Technical Expertise To SMC As MRT-7 Moves Closer To Full Operations

SMC MRT-7 Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) infrastructure unit, has signed an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Services Agreement with Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), South Korea’s national railway operator, to support the next phase of MRT-7 as it moves closer to full operations.

Hariphil Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official Philippine distributor of Hyundai Trucks and Buses, will be making a bold entry into the electric commercial vehicle (E-CV) space.

After just one year of formal operations, Mitsubishi Matina has gone above and beyond their original targets.

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) continues to improve its aftersales experience. The brand has announced that Service Advisors of its 38 dealerships nationwide have now shifted towards a digital approach through the ‘Electronic Check Sheet’ (E-Checksheet) Mobile Service Tablet. HCPI is aware that certain processes done at the dealerships tend to be tedious, so it has applied a more people-oriented method to ease customers’ stress.

Gawang Pinoy pride is certainly in the limelight as production at Toyota’s Santa Rosa, Laguna assembly line rocketed 52.9 percent last March.

Review: 2025 Honda Civic RS e:HEV

Buyers in the close to P 2-million range are always in the look out for SUVs or crossovers. Likely fueled by notion that high-riding vehicles make for bang-for-the-buck choices, their rise in consumer minds has meant the demise of the compact sedan. Once the “starter car” of the Filipino family, they now occupy a niche segment, but one that’s still competitive one way or another.

Subaru Philippines To Launch Hybrid Models Before End-2025

Motor Image Pilipinas, Subaru’s exclusive distributor in the Philippines, is planning to launch its first bevy of hybrid models within the year. This was revealed in parent company Tan Chong International Limited’s 2024 Annual Report.

Porsche Brings Back 1970s Nostalgia With The Limited-Edition 911 Spirit 70

Porsche brings a bit of nostalgic hippie vibes with the limited-edition Porsche 911 Spirit 70. Based on the 911 GTS Cabriolet, this marks the third Heritage Design model from the German sportscar maker and brings with it the spirit of disco, rebellion, bell bottom pants, and rock and roll.

The heyday of relatively affordable leisure and lifestyle pickup trucks may soon be over as Senate Bill 2865 or the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act (CMEPA) might be signed into law as early as June according to industry sources.

Continuing to show strong performance in the automotive market, Nissan Philippines starts the year ranking third in year-to-date vehicle sales as of March 2025. The brand has maintained its position among the top three brands for four consecutive months since December 2024.

Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc. (HMPH) is giving more opportunities for customers to experience the latest Hyundai line-up, on top of free service, through the Sales in Service Test Drive Promo, happening until June 30.

Mikio Tsukui Is New Isuzu Philippines President

Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) officially introduced Mr. Mikio Tsukui as its new President during a formal turnover ceremony, marking a significant milestone in the company’s leadership transition. Mr. Tsukui succeeds Mr. Tetsuya Fujita, who has returned to Isuzu Motors Limited in Japan after a successful tenure leading IPC.

United Asia Automotive Group, Inc. (UAAGI), the Philippines’ leading multi-brand automotive distributor, is proud to announce the addition of a new and dynamic brand to its expanding roster: Radar. This strategic move further solidifies UAAGI’s commitment to providing the Filipino motoring public with cutting-edge, new energy mobility options.

The Formula 1 season is revving up and for fans in the Philippines, the excitement isn't just on screen but also in stores. This year, Lego is bringing the high-speed action of F1 back to the Philippines with a weekend of hands-on F1 fun at the Lego Certified Store (LCS) in Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

Graphic designer Warren Carlo Trinidad won VinFast Philippines’ VF3: Brave New Imagination Creators Challenge and as a result, he’s now driving home a VF3 decked out in his one-off design.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines posted record retail sales of 91,639 vehicles in the Philippines in fiscal year (FY) 2024 (April 2024 to March 2025)—an increase of 12 percent from the previous fiscal year.

RSA Motors Corporation announces “Demo Fest.” Happening simultaneously at their RSA Motors Libis and RSA Motors Greenhills showrooms today up to April 27, 2025, this four-day event presents exceptional ownership opportunities for aspiring owners of BMW.

After the EZ-6 (6e for global markets), Mazda showed off the EZ-60—its second vehicle designed in collaboration with Chinese partner, Changan Auto.

Lexus pulls the curtains off the eighth-generation ES featuring a radical new redesign and the addition of a battery electric version.

Nissan launched its first-ever plug-in hybrid and first-ever electrified pickup truck in the form of the Frontier Pro. Arriving in China first later this year, the Frontier Pro brings together Nissan’s decades-long pickup truck legacy with its latest powertrain technology.

2025 Mazda BT-50 Is Ready For Life's Adventures. Yours Starting At P 1.550M (w/ Specs)

Mazda Philippines launches the new 2025 BT-50, a pickup truck that goes beyond the specs, to deliver performance and technology that enables you to live your life’s passion, whatever it may be. Significantly enhanced both inside and out, it’s ready for adventure, big or small, routine, or extraordinary.

Tesla Continues Momentum In Philippines With Initial Delivery Of New Model Y EV SUVs

After cornering a 30 percent market share in BEV sales in the first quarter of 2025, Tesla Philippines continues its momentum with the delivery of the first batch of Model Y EV SUVs to customers in time for Earth Week.

New car sales breached the 40,000-mark for the first time in 2025 last March helping lift the Philippine auto industry’s figures to 117,074 units for the first quarter of 2025.

I’m on an electrified binge drive lately. After driving the BYD Shark 6 DMO, I spent time with a trio of Honda e:HEVs, and now, I’m with the Kia Sorento Turbo Hybrid AWD. The Sorento is more of a midsized crossover, but like a teenager being told by their parents on what course to take, Kia is placing this in the thick of the midsized SUV battle. Yes, they want to pit it against the likes of the Montero Sport and Fortuner. Oh, and yes, it also has to go against the CR-V e:HEV too.

Hyundai may be leading in the EV race as far as legacy carmakers are concerned, but it looks like they won’t stop developing their hybrid tech anytime soon. The group has unveiled their next-generation hybrid which will be used in a wide array of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models.

Hyundai Trucks & Buses Offering Discounts On PMS Parts, Labor Until May 15

Hariphil Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai Trucks and Buses (HTB), is offering discounts on PMS parts and labor until May 15, 2025.

Among legacy carmakers, Mitsubishi is perhaps the most conservative one. Edgy marketing aside, their product line-up can be best described as “safe.” No one, not even your mother-in-law, will question you for getting an Xpander, Montero Sport, or L300. They’re quite alright, if a bit pulseless when it comes to overall design and execution. Lately, they’re trying to shake that image off and that’s why you get vehicles like the all-new Triton and the Xforce.

As carmakers start paring back on their ambitious full EV targets, one powertrain maker sees a potential in developing a modular system that can transform a battery electric vehicle platform into a hybrid with minimal modifications.

Chevrolet Philippines is offering special aftersales service discounts until May 15, 2025. With the “Prepair for the Next Adventures” promo, Chevrolet owners can have their vehicles prepped for trips—within or outside the city.

Review: 2025 Lexus LBX

You’re looking at the smallest car Lexus has ever built and with that, there’s so much riding on it; so much so that it’s been bestowed with the first three-letter Lexus model name since the glorious LFA. After all, not only is it designed as a new entry point to would-be Lexus considerers, but it’s also the brand’s attempt to win over a younger audience. No pressure.

With a name like “Seal,” you don’t know exactly what you’d expect with this executive sedan from BYD. After all, conjuring up mental images of a blubbery, somewhat cutesy marine mammal doesn’t help things, especially when this is supposed to be a sports sedan offering. Naming aside, there’s the price tag too: at P 2.548-million for the Seal Performance, it’s the most expensive non-Dynasty model BYD currently offers in the market.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is banning carmakers from using the terms, “smart driving” and “autonomous driving” when advertising advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). It will also tighten scrutiny of such technology. This is after a fatal accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 last March which has triggered widespread concerns over the safety of so-called “self-driving technology.”

Despite the rear side of its curtain airbags failing to deploy properly during its Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Program), the Jaecoo J7 SHS has achieved the highest possible 5-star safety rating.

Delta Electronics becomes the first EV charging solutions provider in the Philippines to be awarded the Philippine Standard (PS) Safety Certification Mark. The PS mark is a mandatory certification for select electrical products, ensuring they meet national safety and performance standards.

Ah Chery. We don’t exactly know what you’re trying to achieve at this point. If you’re having a hard time already counting which brands fall under the state-owned carmaker, you’ll have to remember a new one: Lepas.

Two different variants of the 2025 Porsche 911 proved themselves to be the best in the world by claiming accolades both on and off the race track.

Kia EV3 Is The Best New Car For 2025

The Kia EV3 is the 2025 World Car of the Year. It’s the second straight World Car of the Year award for Kia after the EV9 won in 2024. It also brings Kia’s total wins at the World Car Awards to six since 2020.

Okay…so far, Subaru’s 2025 New York International Auto Show announcements have been ugly and uglier. Surely, they can’t do a three out of three, right? Thankfully, the 2026 Trailseeker, the brand’s second EV offering, manages to dodge the ugly stick (slightly).

The Hyundai Inster is the 2025 World Car Electric Vehicle of the Year. This is the third World Electric Vehicle win for Hyundai. Previously, there were two consecutive back-to-back World Electric Vehicle wins for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in 2022 and the Ioniq 6 in 2023.

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