Can you imagine a day without using your smartphone? I find the mere prospect absolutely tantalizing – no social media, no emails, no instant messaging. It will feel like 1998 all over again! But the stress that we get from our smartphones is actually a consequence of how immensely capable mobile technology has become. Instead of having to carry a cellphone, a camera and a laptop for work (as we did in the olden days), the smartphone has integrated all essential functions into one handy unit. An

There's a cause for celebration for the Kia brand in the Philippines as the Kia Stonic turned out as a runaway hit in the country, leading the local lineup in sales for 2022. During its recent 4th anniversary celebration, Kia Philippines also celebrated its record-breaking 34% sales increase compared to 2021. The new sales record exceeded the auto industry’s 26% pace. Kia Philippines also announced that it received Kia Asia Pacific (K-APAC) recognition for achieving the highest growth rate in th

Once a novelty in the slushbox segment, continuously variable transmissions (CVT) are getting increasingly popular. This is because of the multiple forward ratios that the transmission presents to the driver, instead of a set number of gears. In the Philippines, this particular tranny saw national attention when it was part of the original equipment for the mid-2000s Honda City subcompact sedan and Honda Jazz subcompact hatchback. The tranny was deemed a good alternative to a market that still p

(Images from Honda PH) People buying cars would consider many factors – the looks, practicality, reliability, and of course fuel consumption, but the last criterion does not matter at all when buying a Honda Civic Type R. If you are looking to buy this beautiful monstrosity of a road machine, fuel consumption is supposed to be the last thing on your mind. Anyway, since fuel price figures are always up while many things like your crypto stock are plummeting, this question’s relevance needs a quic

(Images from Hyundai PH) The Hyundai Reina is a simple budget car meant for the daily drive. Under its hood is a 1.4L in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine which produces 95 horsepower and 132 Newton meters of torque. This number is actually very modest. It is then paired with either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic transmission. As we have previously mentioned in a review of the Reina, it is a very basic car as it just gives you what it really promises – adequate power

Electrification is the future and Toyota is well aware of that. The Japanese manufacturer is reportedly planning to electrify the next-generation Toyota Vios, codenamed D92A. A recent report from Philippines media AutoIndustriya mentioned that Toyota has plans to fit the Daihatsu-developed e:Smart Hybrid powertrain into the next-generation Toyota Vios, as well as the equally-new Toyota Avanza. Why Daihatsu’s e:Smart Hybrid and not Toyota’s THS? The next-gen Toyota Vios will adopt the simpler, le