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January 13, 2021

World's Fastest SUV, the 2021 Audi RS Q8 is Now in the Philippines

The all-new, 2021 RS Q8, Audi Sport’s most dynamic model in the Q range of SUVs, is now on sale in Audi Philippines’ showrooms. Its arrival closely follows that of the RS 3 Sedan’s which, together with the RS 6 Avant, spearheads the introduction of Audi Sport—the high-performance division of Audi AG—in the country.

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is set to fully open all seven lanes of the 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 elevated expressway from the South Luzon Expressway in Alabang to the North Luzon Expressway, after official ceremonies on January 14, Thursday afternoon.

Despite community quarantines being in effect since March 2020 over the National Capital Region, Manila still holds the dubious honor of being one of the most traffic congested cities in the world. The Traffic Index 2020 by TomTom showed that Manila as having the fourth worst traffic in the world.

Twenty-one years after Chery’s first car—the Fulwin with VIN 000001 rolled off the assembly line on December 18, the Chinese automaker has achieved a breakthrough with its 9-millionth unit sold.

Automobili Lamborghini responded to the challenges brought on by the global pandemic by delivering 7,430 cars worldwide in 2020—a decrease of just 9 percent compared to the previous year. The drop isn’t attributed to slowing sales either, but to a 70-day production shutdown in compliance with the Italian government. In contrast, the second six months saw record sales figures, resulting in the best second half-year for deliveries-to-customers in the company’s history.

AC Motors Targets 10 Percent Market Share by 2025

Despite the economic challenges brought on by the on-going pandemic, AC Motors, an Ayala company remains bullish on the Philippine automotive industry.

The 2021 Detroit Auto Show has been canceled. Already rescheduled because of the pandemic, it will be scraped altogether, and replaced by an outdoor auto-centric event called Motor Bella in September.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) finished 2020 strong with a 30 percent increase in retail sales last December. The number two automotive brand in the country raked in a total of 4,195 unit sales to close the year.

Just like the pickup truck on which it’s based on, the 2021 Isuzu mu-X scores a perfect 5-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating. It joins the D-Max which scored a 5-star rating at both the ASEAN NCAP as well as Euro NCAP.

Hyundai will release its own take on fast grocery-getters with its first-ever high-performance SUV: the 2021 Kona N. Set for a full unveil in the coming weeks, the automaker just released its basic specifications.

Hyundai and Ford win big at the North American Car, Utility, and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) with the Elantra, Mustang Mach-E, and F-150 winning their respective categories.

Ford has announced that it will cease production operations in Brazil this year, involving three plants and will discontinue the EcoSport, Ka, and Troller T4 there once stocks have been depleted.

Toyota Just Converted This Land Cruiser to Run Purely on Electric Power

Toyota’s venerable Land Cruiser is getting an all-electric treatment. Converted from a Land Cruiser 70 Series single-cab pickup, this EV version is part of the automaker’s small-scale trial which will see it become a workhorse.

Ford is starting the year with a range of deals in the form of cash discounts, all-in low downpayment offers, and free ownership packages for its SUVs, pickups, and van this January 2021.

To jumpstart the new year, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. is announcing a special offer exclusively for the BR-V 7-seater SUV until the end of February.

Mercedes-Benz Will Now Make Your Entire Dashboard a Touchscreen

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the largest touchscreen infotainment system with its MBUX Hyperscreen. Measuring at 56 inches wide it’s more than three times bigger than the current industry standard—the one used by Tesla.

A global shortage in computer microchips isn’t just affecting the launch of next-generation video game consoles like the PlayStation 5, PCs, and smartphones, they are now beginning to affect automotive production as well.

This is GM's New Logo

General Motors, the parent company of brands like Chevrolet and Cadillac is so committed to its zero-emissions push that it used the occasion to re-design its logo. Now, they’re sort of reminding people that they make appliances on four wheels. If you’re not convinced, take a gander at their new logo on top.

Nissan North EDSA Now Under New Management, Caloocan Soon to Open

Nissan in the Philippines is bringing its product and services closer to more Filipinos nationwide as they announce that Nissan North EDSA is now under new management.

Ford has maintained its position as the best-selling car brand in the U.S. for the 11th straight year thanks in huge part to the strong showing of its truck and SUV portfolio. In total, they sold 2.044 million vehicles including the Lincoln luxury brand.

Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC), the country’s leading assembler and distributor of brand-new trucks, turned over N-Series light duty truck to First PGMC Enterprises Inc., an affiliate of Nutriasia Inc. thru Orix Rental Corporation to complete the fleet of 46 units.

GAC Motor is prepping its very own mid-sized MPV fighter with the 2021 GN6. Launching next month, it’s poised to give the likes of the Toyota Innova and Maxus G50 a run for its money.

“Star” the year right with Mercedes-Benz. The premium automaker is offering discounts as much as P 600,000 on the E-Class and P 400,000 on the V-Class only until the end of January.

Geely Automobile Holdings reports that its in-house brands—Geely and Lynk & Co managed to sell 1,320,217 units in 2020, despite COVID-19-related market shutdowns during the first quarter of the year. This positions Geely as the best-selling Chinese brand for the fourth consecutive year.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Brings Fight to Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Suburban

Jeep breaks ground in the full-sized SUV segment with the introduction of the all-new 2021 Grand Cherokee L. It is the first-ever three-row version of the Grand Cherokee, and is built from the ground up to give it a refined sense of style and craftsmanship without any detriment to its class-leading off-road capability.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., the exclusive distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines want you to join the thousands who already swear by the Accent sub-compact sedan’s performance and fuel efficiency with its enticing price that starts at just P 630,000 for a limited time.

Porsche restoration specialist Singer, known for their work on the 911 1989 to 1994 964 chassis, has come up with this unique effort inspired by the golden era of Porsche rallying in the 1980s. And while it was done at the request of one client, they’re opening it up to others as well.

Thanks to the insatiable appetite for crossovers and SUVs, the average fuel economy of carmakers as a whole dropped in one of the largest markets in the world, the U.S. According to the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA, carmakers as a whole saw their average fuel economy drop to 24.9 mpg or 10.58 km/L, while CO2 emissions went up by 1 percent compared to 2018.

SMC Asia Car Distributors Corporation, the official distributor of BMW cars and motorbikes in the country, in cooperation with its sister company, SMC Tollways Corporation is transforming selected BMW dealerships into Autosweep RFID installation centers this month.

Motor Image Pilipinas, the official distributor of Subaru vehicles in the Philippines is giving one additional reason to consider either the Subaru XV or Forester this January with their worry-free ownership package.

It's Official: This is Kia's New Logo and Tagline

After being leaked through the South Korean patent office, Kia has officially revealed its new corporate logo and brand slogan—a signal that they want to become a leader in the future mobility industry.

The newly soft-opened Skyway 3 project from Buendia, Makati to North Luzon Expressway will be temporarily closed from 10 PM to 4 AM from January 8 to 13, 2021 to make way for additional work on the elevated expressway, prior to its official opening on January 14 (Note: this article was updated to reflect the new closure dates. Prior to this, SMC announced that the closure would be from January 6 to 7 only).

In a bid to further improve customer service, selected Subaru dealerships will start to accept vehicle for service even on Sundays.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has finally released more information surrounding its “safeguard measure” against imported passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. As expected, it will affect mainstream passenger cars. What is surprising is that it will give a free pass to luxury vehicles.

The 400 horsepower Audi RS 3 sedan is now in the Philippines. Along with the RS Q8 SUV and RS 6 Avant, the RS 3 spearheads the arrival of the Audi Sport brand in the country. As the high-performance division of Audi, it develops all the RS models.

Here's Your List of Autosweep's 156 Installation Sites; SMC Tollways to Go 100 Percent Cashless on January 11

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has reached its target 156 RFID stations last December 29, following through on an earlier commitment to open more Autosweep RFID installation stations in more locations before the end of December—particularly in “offsite” areas away from its southern expressways to reach more motorists.

Honda Cars Philippines is extending its holiday promotion to the end of January 2021. This gives would-be buyers cash discounts of up to P 250,000 or all-in downpayment as low as P 29,000.

The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors or AVID is the first industry group to release an official statement against the DTI’s plan to impose a safeguard tariff on imported passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.

Conventional thinking suggests that having a brand new car is usually preceded by a momentous milestone in someone’s life. True, nothing can mark a special occasion in your life quite like a fresh-out-of-the-showroom-floor vehicle. But, what if there is a way to get a brand-new car without all that proverbial fanfare?

The first-ever Miss Universe Philippines 2020, Rabiya Mateo, enters 2021 an official MG owner.

Even out of warranty vehicles get perks over at Mitsubishi with their big aftersales discount promo.

Mazda is giving its three-row mid-sized SUV, the CX-8 the very same updates first seen in the CX-5. Now available in Japan, the refreshed 2021 CX-5 adds further refinements to its design and has added convenience features too.

DTI to Slap "Safeguard Tariff" on Imported Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles

Despite Philippine automakers being vehemently against it, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is moving ahead to slap “safeguard tariffs” on all imported passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, including pickup trucks.

Honda has always pushed its City sub-compact sedan towards advancement. Throughout the nameplate’s history, there were hits and misses, but it was never afraid to experiment. Be it through its design or technology, it was always ahead of the curve, as far as its rivals are concerned.

It didn’t make it for Christmas, but supercar and endurance racing fans will love LEGO’s newest Technic set: the Ferrari 488 GTE AF Corse #51.

MG’s best-selling sub-compact SUV, the ZS managed to score a perfect 5-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating.

Despite the continued economic challenges brought upon by COVID-19, Toyota Motor Corporation has managed to grow its sales by 1.8 percent last November. Their continued recovery was driven primarily by two key markets—China and Japan.

Yes, the Hyundai Kona Still Comes with a P 205,000 Discount

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. is extending its big cash discount offer on its best-selling passenger cars up until January 15, 2021.

Honda is continuing its global restructure with reports pointing that it will pull out of another major market in 2022. Reports say the automaker will stop supplying new cars to the Russian market by then.

Citing “fundamental changes global economic and business conditions,” Ford and Mahindra will not push through with their planned joint venture.

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