Dole Philippines Inc. has complemented its vehicle fleet with the purchase of several units of the All-New Isuzu D-MAX.

The new vehicles, which will be used by the company for its various operations in South Cotabato, were turned over in the last quarter of 2013 by top officials of Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) to Dole Philippines’ executives.

Following the highest ever FIFA ranking of the Philippine Azkals at 127th place and the solid growth of football in the country, the Azkals have recently launched a football program for kids aged 6-12.

Columbian Autocar Corporation (CAC), exclusive distributor of Kia Motors in the Philippines and the official Transport Provider of the Philippine Azkals, went all-out in its support of the youth football program. CAC Vice President for Marketing Mr. Hernando D. Gañac, Jr. lauds the initiative as “another step towards a more formidable Philippine football scene.”

Nissan has launched the all-new Teana in Japan, a model which the company aims to move more than 600,000 units worldwide including the United States and China. To do so, Nissan has gone away with “hospitality”, which was the defining theme of the previous model and instead, pursued “driving performance” for the all-new Teana.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Undoubtedly, Kia has gone through a dramatic design-led transformation of late. They’ve been delivering dynamically-styled vehicle in several important segments at exactly the right time. In the mid-sized SUV segment, a segment more often known for bland utility, the Kia Sorento first came into the market in 2002 and since then has given Filipino buyers a somewhat leftfield choice in the ubiquitous sea of Fortuners and Montero Sports. In 2009, the Sorento (the current model) migrated from its body-on-frame beginnings and transformed into a sophisticated uni-body crossover in the process. Updated with a substantial re-design just last year, the Sorento not only ticks the right boxes when it comes to design, but also in sophistication, drivability, and of course, value for money.

The dawn of the New Year provides an opportunity to start fresh. It’s the perfect time to shed negativities and embrace a new life and a new you. Much like the prospect of endless possibilities, the New Year opens so many roads for those willing to drive off into exciting adventures.

The Volvo Concept XC Coupé won two prestigious design awards this week, further raising the excitement around Volvo Car Group’s (Volvo Cars) new design language. The Concept XC Coupe was awarded the title “Best Concept Car” at the 2014 EyesON Design Awards at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show, while Volvo’s latest concept vehicle also won the award for “Best use of Color, Graphics and Materials”.

Six months after taking on the stopwatch at the world’s most spectacular hill climb event in Colorado, the 208 T16 Pikes Peak is back in the limelight thanks to two internationally-famed prizes, namely Autosport’s “Rally Car of the Year” and Top Gear’s “Race Car of the Year” awards.

Last October 12, 2013, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) was set to hold the very first Vios Cup. Unfortunately, due to Typhoon Santi that hit the said region, TMP had to postpone the said motorsports festival to put everyone’s safety at the forefront.

The Mazda brand, under the management of Berjaya Auto Philippines Inc. (BAP) in its first year of operation, reported a 60% jump in full year 2013 sales compared to 2012. The growth is spread across the product portfolio, with the majority of the growth coming from Mazda2 small car, Mazda3 sub-compact, Mazda6 executive sedan, BT50 pickup and CX-5 compact CUV.

UPDATE: We've included more photos for your viewing pleasure. Check them after the break.

UPDATE 2: We've also added the official launch video.

UPDATE 3: Here's our full review of the Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0 V.

47 years and 40 million units sold to date, the Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car nameplate on the planet and has always been the Japanese automaker’s leader when it comes to adopting new concepts and technologies. Sold in 154 countries worldwide, the Corolla is designed to meet and exceed the expectations of a global customer base that has become more discerning when it comes to a car of superior quality, durability, and reliability. Toyota’s response is the all-new, 11th generation Corolla Altis—a car that inherits 50 years of Corolla DNA but with an advanced design, improved roominess and comfort, more dynamic performance, and unrivaled fuel economy. This is Toyota’s best and most capable Corolla Altis yet.

A new all-time record for AUDI AG: in 2013, the company sold around 1,575,500 automobiles worldwide, 8.3 percent more than in 2012. The premium manufacturer’s sales thus increased by more than 100,000 units for the fourth consecutive year. Major growth drivers over the past year were Audi’s three biggest export markets, all of which reported double-digit growth: with China up 21.2 percent, the United States up 13.5 percent, and the UK up 14.9 percent. In Europe and China, the four rings again led the premium segment in 2013 as the top-selling brand. Audi concluded the year with a 18.4 percent growth to around 130,700 global deliveries in December, increasing sales in all regions of the world compared to the same month of 2012.

Chevron Philippines, Incorporated (CPI) through its Caltex brand of fuels, now supports the Car Awards Group, Incorporated ( CAGI ) in its activities for the 2014 awards season.

In introducing the new generation 911 Turbo S, Porsche is presenting the top cars of the 911 model series in terms of technology and dynamic performance. More than 40 years after the world premiere of the first Turbo prototype, the Porsche 911 Turbo S is redefining the limits of what is feasible in a sports car for everyday use.

If love is like riding a bicycle, then the first few tries must’ve hurt quite a bit. Just like Ramon Bautista of hit web-series Tales from the Friend Zone Zero, maybe you have gone through your share of heartbreaks that made you say “’di na ako naniniwala sa pag-ibig.”

UPDATE: Read through the article for the Philippine name, launch date, and price...

UPDATE 2: We have all the launch details here.

After Toyota Motor Philippines gave the go signal to open the flood gates releasing model information and specs of its highly-anticipated Corolla Altis, their official Facebook page just sprung a surprise. There, a mysterious hatchback appears along with the tagline, “Get ready to live the easy life. Soon.”

After countless renders, leaks, reports, and even a reveal of its racing version, Subaru has finally pulled the curtains off the all-new 2014 Subaru WRX STI, and based on the official information, they seem to have concentrated on giving their flagship performance sports sedan better handling. After all, it was designed with “Pure Power in Your Control” as its motto.

UPDATE: Aside from photos, Lexus has now released a slew of data on the RC F.

Lexus has released the first few photos of its new RC F high-performance coupe in the lead up to the North American International Auto Show. And we’re liking what we see. Based on the already spectacular looking RC Coupe launched at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show 2013 in November, the RC F shows off added muscularity and power through more fins, ducts, and scoops. All this and it’s supported by V8 power-eschewing the downsizing trend started by its German rivals.

Ford Philippines announced a new interactive pre-launch campaign, in anticipation of the arrival of the all-new Ford EcoSport in the country. ‘EcoSport Urban Discoveries’ is designed to bring out the city adventurer in every Filipino consumer by inviting them to share their favorite urban discoveries around the metro and how the all-new Ford EcoSport makes it easier to get there.

Hyundai’s flagship sedan, the rear-wheel drive Genesis Sedan is getting the full unveil at the North American International Auto Show. Though it’s generally a niche product (here in the Philippines, at least), it showcases the Korean carmaker’s future design direction with Fluidic Sculpture 2.0.

Responding to Akio Toyoda’s call for more design revolution and more heart-pounding design at Toyota, the Japanese carmaker launched the “Future Toyota 1” or FT-1 Concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). So-called because it’s Toyota’s ultimate expression of what a Toyota coupe should be, it successfully builds up on Toyota’s rich heritage with cars including the Celica, Supra, and the 86.

Fresh from winning the title of North American Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Corvette is finally raising its middle finger against the Porsches and Ferraris, yes the Porsches and Ferraris of the world, with the introduction of the four-generation Corvette Z06. This is the most powerful, most capable Corvette yet with a face-melting 625 horsepower and 816 Nm of torque (at least) from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8.

After a couple of teasers, Kia finally unveiled what they called their “most aggressive concept car”: the GT4 Stinger. The name certainly sounds like a video game sequel, but make no mistake: this one’s taking the fight to the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 IF Kia decides to build it.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

The Touran is a seven-seater?! This is the all-too common reaction when you show them Volkswagen Philippines’s entry in the MPV market. And who could blame them? At just 4,397-mm in length, it’s about the same size as a compact sedan, not an MPV. But before they could pass further judgment, they open the door and step inside. Then it makes them realize: the size is just right. Truly, an MPV shouldn’t be judged by its exterior, but by what it does with the interior. In that regard, the Volkwagen Touran comes out as a perfectly-proportioned MPV; a great choice to ferry the family around Manila’s small roads.

The Philippines hasn’t seen the Ford F-150 for quite some time, but in the good, old U.S. of A, it still rules and is still is the best-selling vehicle there. For that reason as well as its never ending rivalry with the Chevrolet Silverado is the reason why Ford is unveiling what they dub to be the “smartest, most capable” F-150 yet. Well, they didn’t say it would be the most bad ass.

In just over a year since its establishment, Hyundai Motorsport is ready to join the ranks of the competitive FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) next week with two Hyundai i20 WRC cars entered into the prestigious Rallye Monte-Carlo, round one of the 13-rally 2014 WRC season.

In the Hyundai tradition of giving back to the community, 40 Hyundai scholars from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) expressed full support for HARI Foundation, Inc.'s (HFI) advocacy to promote environmental awareness across the country by becoming part-time “Hyundai Eco-Teachers.”

Audi showed off their newest concept car, the Allroad Shooting Brake that is supposed to “combine a host of visual elements of future sports car models with the Audi-typical allroad concept and ‘shooting brake’ car body form.” This could likely mean that the Allroad Shooting Brake could preview what the next-generation TT and the Q1 would look like.

Strong sales across the entire Ford lineup in the Philippines helped drive full-year retail sales in 2013 up 41 percent to an all-time record of 13,285 units.

The record year was powered by all-time best full-year sales in the Philippines for the all-new Ford Ranger, Ford Explorer and Ford Mustang nameplates, as well as the second best-ever full-year sales for the Ford Everest.

Peugeot has chosen Novak Djokovic, a worldwide tennis icon, as its international ambassador. With this partnership, Peugeot confirms and strengthens its strategy in the tennis world, in a year that also marks the 30th anniversary of the partnership with Roland Garros, the French Open. Novak Djokovic’s worldwide fame, in particular his reputation in China, the largest car market on the planet, was a decisive factor in establishing this partnership.

Petron Corporation, the country’s leading oil company, is kicking off the new year with even more rewards for its loyal Petron Value Card holders.  Fueling up with Petron Blaze 100 Euro 4, Petron XCS, Petron Xtra Advance, Petron Super Xtra Gasoline, Petron Turbo Diesel or Petron Diesel Max allows you to earn one value point for every P250-worth of fuel spend. And, unlike other loyalty cards that only earn points for future redemption, Petron Value Card allows you to earn points and pay for your Petron purchases with points, thus giving you real savings on your fuel spend.

Even before its unveil at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Subaru has revealed that its all-new Subaru WRX STI is going racing. It’s going to compete in the 2014 Nürburgring 24-Hour Race slated for June 19-22. Subaru and its in-house tuning arm, Subaru Technica International (STI) aims to win its third victory in the SP3T class following its win in 2011 and 2012.

Happy New Year! This is the first edition of the monthly Philippine Car Price Guide. Though it's generally a slow month for the auto industry, there are some notable additions/deletions/updates in this price guide including:

• Honda City (added MUGEN model, updated pricing)
• Honda CR-V Modulo
• 2014 Hyundai Accent, 
• 2014 Hyundai Elantra
• 2014 Hyundai Tucson
• 2014 Suzuki Grand Vitara
• 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis

Subaru has brought in Kouteisennin and Time Machine, along with beat boxers Tatsuya and Rinka to let you experience the spirit of the Impreza without even seeing the car. The result is a rather eclectic mix of interpretative dance and movement. Quite unique if you ask me. Have a great weekend!

Mercedes-Benz has lifted the veil off its high-performance compact crossover, now christened the GLA 45 AMG, before its official debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show. Targeted for a younger demographic, the GLA 45 AMG is dubbed as the “all-rounder with driving performance” thanks to its powerful motor and 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) attained a new sales record with 75,587 units sold for 2013 tallying its highest annual sales performance since its start of operations in 1988. In the Passenger Car segment, TMP sold a total of 25,847 units while its Commercial Vehicle segment made up for the balance with 49,740 units.

In a very unique move, Audi first showed off the interior of its next-generation TT Coupe at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) even before the rest of the car. However, it seems fitting given Audi wants to tout several new technologies.

Volvo is showing off its future with the Concept XC Coupe which is set to debut at the North American International Auto Show. Even before the show doors open however, Volvo has released a flood of information about its exciting new concept crossover.

UPDATE: Subaru officially unveils the 2014 Subaru WRX STI

The thing about the internet is that it’s always hard to plug in every leak. Case in point: the 2014 Subaru WRX STI (2015 for the North American market). Supposed to grace the Subaru of America stand for its global debut at the upcoming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), several clubs including the Subaru Club of the Philippines and Subaru Society have already started circulating photos of Subaru’s flagship performance car.

The 2013 Isuzu Truck Fuel Eco Run Challenge has demonstrated the advantages offered by the Isuzu N-Series trucks’ excellent fuel efficiency to the transport needs of various companies.

The 50th 7-Eleven store based in a Caltex station opened today marked a new milestone five years into the partnership between Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer of the Caltex brand of fuel and lubricants, and Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), franchise holder of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain.

UPDATE 2: The Grab a Porsche promo has been extended once again to January 15, 2014.

UPDATE: Petron has just announced that the Grab a Porsche promo has been extended to December 15, 2013. Good news for those looking for a great and affordable gift this Christmas season!

Petron Value Card holders have another exciting treat in store with the “Grab a Porsche” promo running from November 1 to 30, 2013.

Mercedes-Benz has announced a strategic partnership with Pebble Technology in the run-up to the 2014 International CES, the largest consumer electronics show in the world. These invaluable partnership gives Mercedes-Benz early access to some of the newest hardware and early releases of application programming interfaces (APIs) offered by the Silicon Valley-based company, allowing it to develop innovative integrated applications that pave the way for the future of in-vehicle use cases.

Extending the success of the Android ecosystem, which has seen over one billion devices activated to date, a coalition of auto and technology companies announced today a new industry alliance aimed at bringing the Android platform to a device that's always been mobile: the car.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

The moment the Toyota FJ Cruiser parked into my garage, I couldn’t help but grin like a high school kid. It’s like seeing my first Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, only this time it’s with a two-ton (1,948 kilograms to be exact) SUV. Naysayers will immediately point out that the FJ Cruiser isn’t practical: it’s huge, cramped, and thirsty; but this SUV manages to transcend these adjectives. Driving the FJ Cruiser is like dating a Victoria’s Secret Angel—you don’t go out with her because of her cooking skills; you date her because she’s hot. That’s the kind of magic spell the FJ Cruiser casts on you. It makes you live your childhood dreams of driving a real-life Tonka truck.

Gran Turismo fans, rejoice. Chevrolet is giving you the chance to live your gaming fantasies in real-life, assuming of course you can accord a 2015 Corvette Stingray. Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it’s a fully integrated system that enables users to record high-definition video with telemetry overlays.

Ford Motor Company has released the C-Max Solar Energi Concept, an electric car that takes electric cars to the next level by being independent on the electricity grid for fuel. Instead of powering its battery from an electrical outlet, the C-Max Solar Energi Concept harnesses the sun by using a special concentrator on the roof that acts like a magnifying glass. This magnifier then directs the sun’s rays onto the solar panels located on the roof.

Lamborghini unveiled the successor to the highly-successful Gallardo—the Huracán. Like other Lamborghini models, the Huracán is named after a famous Spanish fighting bull—this one named after the Spanish Conte dela Patilla breed that fought in August 1879.

The US army is looking to replace the aging AM General Humvee with something a bit more robust and, perhaps a sign of the times, a bit more environmentally-friendly. One front-runner is the Ultra Light Vehicle (ULV) developed by the Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center or TARDEC. Of course, light-weight is a misnomer since it weighs in at 6,312 kilograms. Priced at US$ 250,000 each, the ULV is a diesel-electric hybrid powered by…a Subaru engine!

Happy New Year! It’s now officially 2014—the year of the horse. And like that graceful animal known for its speed and agility, this year is bound to be filled with new and exciting cars for every budget. Though car manufacturers are known to be tight-lipped about their whole-year plans, we just had to peer into our magic crystal ball to give you 12 fun-to-drive cars in 2014.

As 2013 comes to a close, it’s actually a great opportunity to look back at the year that’s gone by and to gauge where CarGuide.PH has gone.

This site started out as my personal take on the Philippine automotive industry. Though automotive websites and blogs have become much more crowded compared to when I started 15 years ago, I feel blessed by you, my loyal readers, who sought out my voice amidst the choir of voices. Therefore, I’d like to open this message with a big thank you from all of us at CarGuide.PH. I hope you all continue to stay with us to we see what exciting stuff we have in store for this year.

2013 has been tremendously successful for CarGuide.PH. This year, we’ve gone to more places and driven more cars than ever before. Throughout our journey, we’ve met new friends and got re-acquainted with old ones. This year, we’ve finally gotten an invitation to attend the Tokyo Motor Show—considered to be the most sought-after assignment in the automotive industry. We’ve also gotten recognized once again. At The 2013 Henry Ford Awards, we won Best Smart and Safety Feature Story and Best Published Photograph while being nominated for Online Blog of the Year yet again.

The most important milestone, however, is an explosion in our readership. This year, we’ve seen our best numbers. We now average 44,000 unique visitors (a total of 69,000 individuals) and more than 210,000 page views a month. These numbers are enough to cement us as the third most-read automotive website in the Philippines. And yet, CarGuide.PH is run and maintained by one, yes, one person. Moreover, we’ve seen a drastic increase in our Facebook presence with more than 8,500 Facebook likes on our official page. And our car manufacturer friends can request verified, third-party certified information on our hits at any time.

Through all the successes, 2013 was also beset by tragedies such as the Visayan earthquake as well as the destruction brought about by Super Typhoon Yolanda. We’ve done our part by donating both in cash and in kind to various relief agencies. We’ve also extended help to our personal friends and relatives who were affected by these two natural calamities.

We don’t know what to expect this year, but we’re very excited. We’re pleased to let you know that CarGuide.PH is remaining independent in the near-future. We’ve secured our domain name for the next 5 years. We also remain steadfast in giving you the most up-to-date and most relevant news on the Philippine automotive industry.

In closing, we would like once again to sincerely extend our thanks to all our readers and supporters. Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Happy New Year from us at CarGuide.PH!

Cheers,