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

February 4, 2020

Ford Just Found a Contrived Use for the Mustang Mach-E's "Frunk"

Just look at their stupid faces; ah the grin of success. Seems these millennials have found a new use for the unfortunately-named Ford Mustang Mach-E by transforming that front trunk (frunk) into a makeshift Tupperware.

With Dongfeng’s Philippine distributor, Pilipinas Autogroup, Inc. already saying that everything is business as usual despite the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) in China, we also reached out to The Covenant Car Company, the exclusive distributor of MG and asked if they are expecting any disruptions on their end.

Diecast car collectors, listen up: Nissan has just released a special, limited-edition scale model of its Skyline 2000 GT-R to commemorate Godzilla’s 50th anniversary. The catch? You can only buy it at the Japanese Post Office.

I'm Pretty Sure I'm Not Ready to Own an EV Just Yet

Initially, I thought I’d be one of the first to champion electric vehicles. Given the short distance I drive on a daily basis, I could live with the daily routine of charging my car daily in exchange for zero tailpipe emissions, and max torque available from zero rpm. But all that’s changed after I sampled the Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine. This is when I figured out: boy, the Philippines isn’t ready to join the EV bandwagon just yet.

Cash strapped Aston Martin will have to delay its push into electric vehicles despite the fact that its first all-electric offering, the Rapide E is almost complete. The news comes as Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll injected some USD 656 million to keep the British carmaker afloat.

Toyota will begin rolling out a unique feature that pretty much makes their cars SUA proof. Best part? They’ll be offering it as a retrofit kit, at least for vehicles in Japan.

With no end in sight to the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) spreading around the world, industries, particularly those located in China might soon be affected. Among the locally available Chinese brands, the one that may experience the greatest impact is Dongfeng.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class is dead. After reports coming out of Europe last year, the three-pointed star’s first foray into the pick-up truck segment will officially cease in May, and all production will wrap up by June of this year. The reason? Failing to live up to sales expectations.

The Burgos Circle Car Club—a group of sportscar enthusiasts gather once more for the third Sports Car for a Cause. Happening this Sunday, February 9 from 7AM to 12NN at 4th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, the activity will showcase the members’ prized vehicles for a charitable cause.

The Gram Strategy. It’s an engineering belief that making a car lighter makes them fun-to-drive. It’s something commonly associated with Lotus’s Colin Chapman, and more recently, Mazda. And while it’s typically associated with their two-seater MX-5, the Gram Strategy is present in pretty much their entire line-up, including the CX-5.

Suprise! MG Overtakes Kia, Foton in Full-Year 2019 Sales

One of the more peculiar things with the monthly sales reports of the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) is that its figures for The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI) only includes their numbers for Chevrolet; it doesn’t include their new brand, MG. In fact, MG’s Philippine performance has been largely secretive until now.

Mini may have taken the 2020 Dakar Rally title, but ever-the-optimist Toyota President Akio Toyoda showered praises for his company’s efforts to complete the world’s toughest endurance race.

One of the early victims of Britain’s decision to exit the European Union is the next-generation Mini. An exclusive report by Reuters says that development over at BMW’s British brand has been slowed down to due uncertainty over Britain’s trade relations with the EU.

Hyundai Philippines opens in Baguio City, marking the Korean carmaker’s first full-service passenger car dealership in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Volkswagen Taps Music Icon Gary Valenciano as Brand Ambassador

Volkswagen Philippines announced that Mr. Pure Energy himself, Gary Valenciano is Volkswagen Philippines’s new face. The partnership between two icons of the music and automotive industries is set to be presented to the public during VW Philippines’s, “We Move You” campaign launch featuring a Gary V concert this February 22, 2020 at the Activity Center of the Trinoma in Quezon City.

When Hyundai Philippines came up with the 5x5 Promo last September, they made history being the first automaker to offer a free 5-year Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) package on top of their 5-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

Nissan Refreshes the Urvan for 2020 with Added Safety Features

Typically, utility vans like the Urvan rarely get any love—as long as they can do their job, they’re not exactly the focus of nifty updates and stuff. Well, Nissan at least is showering some love on the Urvan, and hopefully this is a sign of what we’re going to be seeing in the near future.

Toyota Motor Corporation President and hardcore car guy Akio Toyoda greeted Mazda on their 100th anniversary proving that there’s only love between these two Japanese carmakers. In a post on Morizo (his racing alter ego)’s blog, he said:

As Kia Philippines celebrates its first anniversary under AC Industrials, an Ayala company, the Korean carmaker’s Philippine arm treats its existing and potential customers to its Anniversary Blowout promo.

Despite persistence that the Alliance was in the verge of breaking up post Carlos Ghosn, Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi have jointly announced that they are instead deepening their relationship. This is not just to maximize the collaboration within each Alliance member, but also to enhance their competitiveness globally.

The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. (AVID) ended the year with a marginal dip of just 0.5 percent, selling 87,984 units compared to 2018’s 88,430 units. This was as the 13-member group rallied with a strong December performance, selling 8,089 units—a 12 percent increased versus the same month in 2018.

Caltex, the retail brand of Chevron, closes 2019 with a series of milestones including the opening of 30 new service stations in 2019, allowing them reach more customers nationwide. This feat is on top of setting a new Guinness World Record and the inking of new partnerships as well.

Hummer is coming back. After becoming the poster child of America’s insatiable demand for large, gas-thirsty SUVs, it’s now turning a new leaf. Now, it’ll be General Motor’s GMC division’s first all-electric truck.

NextHub Says Your Out-of-Warranty Vehicle Deserve Care and Respect

Strengthening their position as the country’s premier multi-brand automotive distributor & service provider, The Autohub Group of Companies inaugurates their latest vehicle maintenance and repair shop—NextHub Auto Care.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has officially kicked-off its mission to find, train and mentor the country’s future football stars.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., opened its newest full-service passenger car (PC) dealership in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The 2020 Nissan GT-R NISMO broke the lap record on the Tsubuka Circuit last December. Driven by Tsugio Matsuda, the 600-horsepower factory-tuned sportscar smashed the existing production car track record by setting a time of 59.3 seconds.

Geely Philippines to Open 15 Dealerships in 2020

Sojitz G Auto Philippines will embark on an aggressive expansion this year to bring their Geely brand to more locations nationwide.

Dashcams are now dime a dozen—coming in all shapes and sizes, prices and features. So what sets the Blaupunkt BP 7.1 from the rest? Well, it keeps an eye out not just on your car, but on your driving as well.

Nissan Philippines launches its “Service on Wheels,” a mobile solution that delivers scheduled onsite aftersales services and repairs, such as house calls or service caravans. This is to provide Nissan customers excellent vehicle car and services to more customers outside of their authorized service centers.

Toyota Motor Philippines sold 162,011 units in 2019 making it the dominant number one automaker in the country with a 39.5 percent market share. The carmaker also secured the number one spot as the country’s best-selling passenger car brand and best-selling commercial vehicle brand. This allowed Toyota to secure their 18th straight Triple Crown.

Car guys always hate it when their front passengers put up their feet on the dashboard. Well, aside from looking unsightly and disguisting, there’s now a more important reason not to do that: it’s unsafe.

To help families affected by the recent Taal volcano eruption, local automotive leader Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) and its media partners have pledged P 2 million as aid for evacuees in regional relief centers in Batangas and Laguna province.

Nissan Philippines continues its momentum in 2019, finishing the year as the fastest growing brand yet again. For the entire 12-month period, the Japanese carmaker sold 42,694 units equating to a 22.2 percent growth. This is five times the auto industry’s growth last year.

Nissan's Ultimate Go-Anywhere Navara Gets Upgrades for Better Efficiency, Drivability

When Nissan launched a limited-edition, factory-beefed up Navara called the Navara Off-Roader AT32, it was quickly snapped up by European buyers. Well, no worries because building on the success of the previous model, here’s the newest go anywhere Navara: the 2020 Navara Off-Roader AT32.

Suzuki Philippines is now extending its support to all customers affected by the ash fall brought about by the Taal eruption that happened a few weeks ago.

Isuzu previewed their new Class 1 Modern PUV based off its recently launched Traviz light-duty truck. It was shown during the turnover of 30 brand-new modern PUVs to the Pangkalahatang Sanggunian Manila & Suburbs Drivers Association (Pasang-Masda), one of the country’s biggest transport groups.

Among all of MG Philippines’s initial product offerings—the MG ZS, MG6, and the MG RX5, the RX5 represents what is perhaps their boldest move. Competing in the compact SUV segment where desire can sometimes rule over reason, can their value-oriented positioning succeed in a segment where the Americans failed miserably, and where Japanese and Korean brands rule the roost?

Meet the New Face of Hyundai: BTS

Meet the newest global ambassadors of Hyundai: BTS. After spending a year as the global ambassador for Hyundai’s Palisade SUV, the K-Pop super group’s status has been elevated to be Hyundai’s global ambassador brand-wise.

Lexus looks to the future as they reveal luxury trends based on its most recent research. As part of their ongoing efforts to understand what luxury means to people, Toyota’s premium division commissioned a study of more than 3,200 Americans from Gen Z to Baby Boomers. The result of the study is very interesting.

In case you missed it, Ford Philippines re-introduced the FX4 last week. And if that’s not news enough on its own, they also refreshed the entire Ranger line-up this year. Now, while most of the attention has been on the obvious new features, here’s one that’s mind-blowingly simple, but life-changing for most motorists: a high-mount USB.

Prepare to possibly ditch those bulky charging cables in your EV soon as BMW is widening the pilot test for its inductive charging technology.

Looking for a great deal on a diesel-powered compact SUV? Well, how does a brand-new Mazda CX-5 AWD that is more affordable than a Honda CR-V Diesel sound?

From its background on the racetracks, and a strong following among enthusiasts, Subaru is now making a name for itself in one unlikely field: comfort. Indeed, modern Subarus don’t just offer commendable performance, but they tick off the requirements of every family looking for an attainable car upgrade.

Jaguar and Land Rover Ushers In Chinese New Year with Discounts Up to P 1M!

All British Cars (ABC), the sole authorized dealership of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, parts, and accessories in the Philippines, is slashing up to P 1 million off selected Jaguar and Land Rover models from now until February 9, 2020.

People are keen on finding out what the Chinese New Year beholds for them and the ways in which they can enhance their good fortune. An age old practice among the Chinese, Feng Shui is a popular custom that is believed to aid one attain favorable opportunities when done properly.

Kia is readying its own answer to the Ford EcoSport and Hyundai Venue. Made first for the Indian market, it’ll be making its worldwide debut (albeit in concept form) at the upcoming New Delhi Auto Expo this February.

The history-making VIN # 0001 of the first mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette was sold for a whopping USD 3 million (~ P 152.5 million) at the 49th Annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.

Be One of the First to Test Drive the 2020 Ranger FX4 at the Ford Island Conquest

The launch of the Ford Ranger FX4 officially marks the kick-off of the Ford Island Conquest experiential event this year.

We understand—choosing the best and most affordable first car is one of the toughest decisions you’ll ever take. Never settle for less even for your first car because luxury and long-lasting quality can now be affordable. Check out three ways Volkswagen’s Santana AT makes owning the car of your dreams affordable and worth every penny.

Quick Links

February 4, 2020

February 3, 2020

February 2, 2020

February 1, 2020

January 31, 2020

January 30, 2020

January 29, 2020

January 28, 2020

January 27, 2020

January 26, 2020

January 25, 2020