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

January 22, 2019

From Thailand to the World: Nissan Just Exported Its One Millionth 'Made in Thailand' Vehicle

Nissan recently celebrated a significant milestone for its manufacturing operations in Thailand when it reached one million car exports to key destinations worldwide. The Nissan Terra, the all-new frame-based premium SUV, was the one-millionth vehicle to roll off a Thai assembly line for export globally.

UPDATED: Are These the 2019 Suzuki Ertiga's Specs and Prices?

UPDATE: Suzuki just launched the all-new Ertiga, check out more photos and full specs here (1/24).

The all-new 2019 Suzuki Ertiga is formally launching this Wednesday, January 23 so it comes as no surprise that several agents from various Suzuki dealers have begun pre-selling it. And as we know, whenever there’s pre-selling, there are leaks.

Mazda’s ALH or Adaptive LED Headlights technology was recognized by the Japan Machinery Federation (JMF) by bestowing it with the METI (Ministry or Economy, Trade, and Industry) Minister’s Award.

With all the attention focused on their best-sellers like the Navara, Terra, and Urvan, it’s not surprising that you may have missed out on the fact that Nissan Philippines’s still hard at work improving other vehicles in their line-up. Case in point is the new for 2019 Nissan Juke N-Sport.

It’s hard to believe, but what you’re seeing is not a Scandinavian-inspired tool shed; no, you’re looking at the newest customized van from Nissan.

A 1994 Toyota Supra shocked the world when it fetched USD 121 (~ P 6.3 million) at an auction recently (and it was subsequently put back on sale by a Toyota dealer for USD 500,000 (~ P 26.3 million), but how much is one willing to pay for a fifth-generation 2020 Supra? Well, apparently a ton of money.

Toyota Hilux has triumphed with a milestone first victory in the world’s most grueling rally, Dakar.

UPDATED: Here's Everything We Know So Far about the 2019 Strada's Philippine Specs

UPDATE: Mitsubishi Motors Philippines just launched it for the Philippine market (1/26).

Two months after its global unveil in Thailand last November, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines is gearing up for the launch of the 2019 Strada next week. While they’ve been largely mum about the local details, here are some things we’ve gathered about Mitsubishi’s latest offering.

At the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) last year, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) showed off 4 product offerings including the second-generation Veloster. Then, HARI brought in a single variant—the Veloster Turbo which is powered by a 204-horsepower 1.6-liter T-GDI engine. Of course, enthusiasts will be enthusiasts and wanted the proverbial forbidden fruit: the Veloster N. Thankfully, HARI is listening and has delivered—the Veloster N is in the Philippines.

As the world comes to grip with the newest Facebook fad—the “10 Year Challenge,” did Nissan just remind people that its iconic sportscar, the R35 GT-R turned a decade old? Take a judge for yourself, but this was posted on Nissan Philippines’s official Facebook page:

BMW Philippines is Cutting the Price of the 3 Series by Up to P 790,000

BMW Philippines says luxury need not be expensive. From today until January 31, 2019, SMC Asia Car Distributors Corporation is slashing price of its 3 Series sedans.

After Kia Philippines revealed a rather peculiar art installation at BGC, we just had to dig more on what possible cars new distributors AC Industrials could possibly bring in. Checking out Kia Philippines’s new official website (it was down last December), it revealed a couple of clues on what vehicle they could be unboxing at the end of this month.

The launch of the Subaru EyeSight and the preview of a new Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality system last year was just the tip of the iceberg for what Motor Image has planned to improve the overall customer experience. In Singapore, the company revamped their showroom to allow customers a self-guided tour of the different Subaru vehicles on hand.

Care to Guess What's Inside the Kia Box?

Anticipation is high with Kia’s re-launch under Ayala-owned AC Industrials. Previously, Kia Philippines President Mr. Manny Aligada said that 3 “never before seen” vehicles will be showcased during the brand’s re-launch at the end of this month.

Hagerty, the largest insurance agency for collector cars in the U.S. revealed its annual list of later-model cars that are “on the move.” This means these 10 vehicles have slid the usual slope of depreciation and are starting to climb once again in value. If kept in great condition, they’re poised to be future collectibles.

It’s official: Ford and Volkswagen are teaming up with a global alliance that will see them try to leverage their company’s respective strengths in order to boost their competitiveness in a rapidly changing automotive industry.

Has the Philippines reached peak JDM too? In the US, mint condition Toyota Supras and Honda Civic Sis have started to command big bucks to the point that they equal or surpass the sticker price of their modern-day counterparts. It seems this trend may be starting in the Philippines too.

Now that Toyota has finally removed the wraps off the 2020 Supra after what seemed like a ka-zillion years of teasing, comparisons against other sportscars would be inevitable. In this round, we’re comparing the Supra against its sister car, the 2019 BMW Z4. Plus, we’re also throwing a curve ball and mixing in the smaller Toyota 86 and similarly-priced Nissan 370Z NISMO to see how everyone stacks up. Let’s begin.

While Ford Philippines has opted to contact its owners quietly about a recall concerning defective door latches, Mazda Philippines is announcing that the Ranger’s mechanical twin—the BT-50 is affected by the same problem.

Ford Philippines’s consecutive year of record sales ended in 2018 as retail sales dropped to 23,571 vehicles from 2017’s high of 36,623. This 36 percent drop year-on-year can be attributed to the implementation of the TRAIN or revised new vehicle excise tax in 2018.

Hyundai's "JANpacked" Promo Offers Two-Months Free Amortization

There’s nothing more thrilling than welcoming the New Year with a new you. The bigger the change, the better, because it proves that you have the power to reinvent yourself and lead the life you want. The good news is, you can blow everyone’s minds away with your biggest change yet this 2019: driving in a brand-new Hyundai. And what better way to own one than with Hyundai’s “JANpacked” promo that’s fully packed with even simpler, easy-to-own packages to get you hitting the city and the outdoors with style in no time.

Its sister brand, Hyundai may be promoting the Palisade SUV as a luxurious and refined 7-seater crossover, but Kia is heading the opposite direction with the Telluride. The largest Kia ever, the Telluride is meant for the big expanses of the U.S.

When Ford showed off the 2020 Explorer SUV a few days ago, there was one variant that’s noticeably missing: the Explorer Sport. Well, just in time for the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the American carmaker dropped a bombshell in the form of a 400-horsepower SUV: the Explorer ST. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Explorer Sport’s replacement.

The horsepower wars between American muscle cars remain at full swing with Ford showing off the all-new 2020 Shelby GT500—the quickest, most high-performance Ford Mustang ever.

Toyota Motor Philippines is adding a new variant of the Vios sub-compact sedan as a response to the Filipino consumer’s need for a no-frills automatic: the Vios XE. Slated to be unveiled at Toyota’s Media Thanksgiving Party next week, the XE marks the return of Toyota’s storied XE moniker which last saw action in the Corolla pre-2001.

Subaru and STI’s S-line products have been forbidden fruits outside of Japan. Well, that’s all changed with the introduction of the first-ever S-line—the S209 for the U.S. market. As an STI-built Subaru, the S209 carries on the lineage set forth by the S201 to S208 in that it receives power, handling, and aerodynamic upgrades that set it apart from the “regular” WRX STI.

With the hoopla surrounding Toyota’s other small 7-seater, the Rush, you’d think they would have forgotten about the Avanza, right? Well, fear not as there’s yet another fresh for 2019—one that bring with it a rather complex-looking front-end.

After winning a handful of design awards (and our very own Top 5 Picks of 2018), the Hyundai Kona is adding yet another trophy to its cabinet: the 2019 North American Utility of the Year.

So the world gets an all-new Toyota Supra. Yay. Hurray. Nothing to see here, so move along. After countless concept cars, teases, spy shots, unintentional reveals, and all—I’m pretty underwhelmed at the final result. Sure, some of us will get a kick out of some 1990s nostalgia, but that’s all the all-new Supra really is: nostalgia. It’s the JDM New Beetle, honestly.

This is a drive seeking redemption. The last time I had the CX-9, the experience wasn’t as smooth sailing as I’d hope. Mazda’s beautiful 7-seater SUV was marred by its fancy Skyactiv-G Turbo as its temperature rose on the way up to Baguio. Now, almost a year after (and some technical explanation as to what happened), can the entry-level CX-9 vindicate its fancier AWD Touring (now Signature) sibling?

Lexus Goes All Hardcore with 2020 RC F and RC F Track Edition (w/ 17 Photos)

Lexus is definitely embracing a more hardcore sporting image with the fresh for 2020 RC F coupe and its more sinister sibling, the RC F Track Edition. Extensively updated with better aerodynamics, reduced weight, retuned suspension, and enhanced styling, the RC F and RC F elevate Lexus to a new level of performance and refinement.

Currently, it’s unimaginable, but Hyundai thinks future cars could be capable of walking; that’s right, walking. On legs. Like a dog or a horse. It’s insane, but that’s exactly what the Hyundai Elevate concept vehicle does.

Mitsubishi Motor Philippines (MMPC) opened 2019 by hiking up the price of its best-selling Xpander MPV. The suggested retail price, which MMPC already increased once last November, sees yet another modest increase across the entire variant range effective this January, 2019.

Didn’t get the luxury car you’ve always dreamed about last December? Well, it seems good things happen to those who wait as Audi Philippines is holding a one-of-a-kind warehouse sale where they’re slashing the prices of their cars by as much as a million pesos.

The near-stock MX-5 ND of Car Porn Racing once again took top honors at the 8-Oras ng Pilipinas endurance race held last December at the Clark International Speedway. The team composed of racing veterans Allan Uy, Tyson Sy, Carlos Anton, and international race driver Angie King, raced the MX-5 to 4th Over-all, 3rd in the RP Class and first in both the FM1 and FM2 race production classes as it went wheel to wheel with 31 other cars on the grid.

Admittedly, the stigma attached to the term, “Made in China” is still hard to shake off. But while that may be true for cars made there before, companies such as SAIC Motor Corporation has since made great strides in both design and engineering.

The 2019 Singapore Motorshow set out to impress, with brands unveiling some of the latest in hybrid and electric car technologies. Subaru set the bar in showcasing, for the first time in the ASEAN region, the all-new Forester e-BOXER—the petrol-electric hybrid model of its bestselling SUV.

Alonso to Race 2019 Indy 500 with Chevrolet Power

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso will compete in the 2019 Indianapolis 500 in a McLaren Racing entry powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged direct-injected V6 IndyCar engine. The Chevy engine has powered the defending winner of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing and three Indy 500 winners since its 2012 IndyCar Series introduction.

Look at this and weep. This is what Japanese tuner Mugen has in store for the Civic Type R. Mugen has always developed parts and cars that usually go hand-in-hand with Hondas, but their new RC20GT—revealed at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon is tough to swallow.

For more than 20 years, Pilipinas Shell has been dedicated to improving the lives of professional drivers through their loyalty programs. And to make it even better, their loyalty card has gotten bigger with the all-new Shell GO+ card, rewarding not just its members but their families as well.

Nostalgia is in full swing over at Subaru of America as they’ve taken the covers off their 2019 motorsports livery—one that marks the return of the signature blue-and-gold color scheme of the 1990’s.

Last November 2018, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official Philippine distributor of Hyundai vehicles, celebrated the graduation of the pilot batch of 45 Hyundai Dream Centre Philippines (HDCP) scholars alongside partners Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) and Plan International at the Hyundai Logistics Center in Calamba, Laguna.

Lexus is using the world-stage to determine if it’s worthwhile to give the world another drop-top model. Since the end of the IS C in 2015, the Japanese luxury brand had gone without a halo convertible in its line-up. If public reaction is positive that may change with the LC Convertible concept.

When you think of “best-selling car in Japan,” the Toyota Corolla or Prius still come to mind. Well, you’ll be surprised that another brand and model has successfully taken that crown in 2017. That honor belongs to the Nissan Note.

The MG HS Will Change Your Perception of "Made in China" Forever

Meet the MG HS—the SUV that’ll forever change your perception of the words, “Made in China.” Designed and built by SAIC Motor’s passenger car division under its MG brand, the MG HS is similar in size to the likes of the Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5. Yet, because of its technological advancements, it’s being pitched more as an alternative to something a class higher.

Using its new Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture, Mazda has found a way to make it stiffer and safer while still shaving off weight in the process. Their answer: the world’s first cold-stamped vehicle parts made of 1,310 MPa-class high-strength steel. It will be used in all upcoming models starting with the all-new 2019 Mazda3.

Ford Shows Off All-New 2020 Explorer (w/ 21 Photos)

Ford today introduces its all-new 2020 Explorer: a complete redesign of America’s all-time best-selling SUV that now features more power and space, and smart new technologies to help tackle life’s adventures.

It may look like the same old Nissan Leaf launched last year, but the small “e+” badge at the back signifies something special: a new powertrain that offers additional power and range.

Mazda is Launching a 30th Anniversary Limited-Run MX-5

The North American International Auto Show or NAIAS hasn’t even started yet and Mazda is looking straight to February to unveil a special MX-5: the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition.

Is your car’s registration due to be renewed soon? Are you unlucky enough that you still don’t have your permanent plate number yet? Well, the LTO has a reminder for you: follow the uniform temporary plate number design or else your car won’t be allowed for registration.

Quick Links

January 22, 2019

January 21, 2019

January 18, 2019

January 17, 2019

January 16, 2019

January 15, 2019

January 14, 2019

January 13, 2019

January 11, 2019

January 10, 2019

January 9, 2019