Setting up a car brand from scratch can be a daunting task. Aside from satisfying government and regulatory requirements, anyone planning to bring in a foreign brand will be faced with a number of difficult challenges along the way. That is why most automotive brands prefer to partner with a local distributor. Filipinos who run the distributorship are presumed to know the ins and outs of setting up the company, dealing with government agencies, hiring the right people, establishing systems and p

Remember when President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. went to Japan last March and received confirmation from Toyota Motors of the Tamaraw nameplate’s return to the Philippines? Well, this could just be it. During AutoFun Philippines' visit to Indonesia, we saw the Toyota Rangga Concept displayed in various guises at the 2023 GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS. It offered a glimpse of Toyota’s upcoming commercial vehicle plans for the ASEAN region. Initially showcased during the 60th an

Let’s turn the clock back some five years ago. In 2018, I was 40 pounds lighter and working part-time as a motoring contributor to help me through graduate school. This was also the year that I started my racing career. 2018 was also when the cars in this list were showroom fresh. Even without the “new car smell,” which is actually a combination of chemicals from the manufacturing process, these models still have plenty of life left in them. Indeed, five years is typically the time when most com

Toyota has significantly contributed to the popularity and development of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) since it launched the original Toyota Prius in 1997. Over the last decade, the Japanese carmaker has also rolled out a wide range of hybrid cars in the Philippines that offer incredible fuel economy without the range anxiety that battery EVs still get because of insufficient charging stations. Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) announced in a January 2023 press statement that it is showcasing its

After the Mazda CX-5 scored the lone “Good” rating out of 20 SUVs tested by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety with its more stringent side-impact test published last year, another model from the Hiroshima brand was likewise given the only “Good” rating in the upgraded side-impact test conducted on small cars. The IIHS announced that only the Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback received the “Good” rating among 11 car models tested by the safety institution. The Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla s

According to one reputable automotive website, Vehq.com, diesel-engine powered vehicles cost more to maintain in the long run, than your typical gasoline-fueled car because the former requires more routine periodic maintenance in addition to having to pay for expensive parts in cases where malfunctioning car parts need to be replaced. Be that as it may, however, this puff of news comes as soothing as a breath of otherwise, fresh mountain air, especially to would-be car owners of one Ford Territo