BMW is beginning to phase out its manual transmission models, evident in the brand’s newer models, all coming with automatic transmissions. Even the brand’s lineup M cars no longer have this gearbox as there is a low demand for them. Aside from this, the German brand also cites that it also creates production difficulties and that these shift-it-yourself gearboxes are “worse” than their automatic counterparts. For recently launched models such as the 2023 BMW M2, it forces customers who want a m

Disclosure: SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp., the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines, very kindly lent me a 2022 BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport for five days. The test car came with a half tank of diesel and loaded RFID cards. AutoFun Philippines paid for additional fuel and a car wash. The notion of “premium” has long been a source of contention in various industries and ideologies. It boils down to this – what’s the point of paying more for something that can be bought for a

Many have tried to take its crown, but the BMW 3 Series remains the de facto benchmark compact executive sports sedan. For nearly 50 years, BMW’s smallest, rear-wheel-drive four-door has combined stellar driving dynamics with superb refinement and the latest technology. The current G20 3 Series has been in production since 2018. Still, the Philippines now gets a new variant called the 318i Sport, according to February 2023 press statement from local BMW importer and distributor SMC Asia Car Dist

In case you missed it, the iconic MINI brand has a new showroom at Bonifacio Global City. Inaugurated last December 2022, the 753-square-meter facility houses up to four display cars, a receiving lounge area, a quick service section, and a roof deck for social functions and events. As with other MINI showrooms around the world, the signature lifestyle-oriented layout of the new BGC dealership lets owners of the cars live and breathe the brand. A wide variety of merchandise is available for purch

SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp, the official importer, and distributor of BMW vehicles in the Philippines, has officially launched the new BMW iX3 electric vehicle (EV). Coming at ₱4,590,000, it sits close enough to the soon-to-be-launched sub-4 million-peso Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 to make EV intenders think twice about their purchase. It is also sits close to the BMW X3 xDrive 20d M Sport offering. This also marks the second fully electric BMW model to enter the Philippine market right afte

There’s too much history when we talk about the iconic Mini, popularly known as Mini Cooper. Before Mr. Bean popularized his citron-green with matte black bonnet Mini on the sitcom in 1990, the Mini was present long before. Originally, British Motor Corporation made the first Mini in 1959 as a solution to narrow European roads before, which was then acquired by British Aerospace in 1988 until it was bought by BMW in 1994. Variants In the year 2000, the fourth-generation Mini was introduced with