The weather seems to have improved this week! All that smog seems to have lessened considerably, while the occasional rain showers help keep things cool in the day or night. This week in motoring seems to have replicated that pleasant climate, with exciting new-car launches and even a rumored new Toyota in the works. Here are your five favorite stories from Oct. 2 to 8, 2023 in this edition of the AutoFun Philippines Rearview Roundup. Toyota Land what? The Toyota Land Cruiser is a name that is a

Did you ever wonder how automakers select the names of their cars? We also wondered the same, especially with the influx of Chinese models with odd naming conventions. Typically, the marketing, design, and communications team chooses a car's name to develop a potential name. They consider the vehicle’s looks and the target audience for the car. There is a pattern to how brands name their vehicles per region; European brands often go with letter and number combinations, such as in the case of BMW

When Nissan Philippines launched the Nissan LEAF, it wanted to showcase the power to clean mobility to the local market. It is a popular electric vehicle (EV) in other markets as the Nissan LEAF has sold more than 600,000 units worldwide, based on figures from mid-2022, since the model launch in late 2010. However, in 2023 it's now facing strong competition from the likes of the South Koreans and the Chinese, who are bringing more affordable and technologically advanced vehicles to the local mar

The Geely Coolray initially debuted in 2019 and shook the Philippine car industry thanks to its affordable pricing, powerful engine, and extensive features. It quickly became a hot topic as many rushed to buy the crossover and experience a new generation of Chinese vehicles. While some buyers hesitated to try the crossover, glowing reviews from owners and media outlets converted some of them to try it out. This raises the question, with so many new entries into the subcompact crossover segment,

The car ownership experience begins when your brand-new unit is released to you at your chosen dealership. While it's an exciting time for you, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you accept the new car. We recently got the opportunity to help a new owner with the release of her new Honda BR-V, so we decided to create a quick guide for what you need to look out for before the dealership releases the unit to you. Inspect the exterior Before your unit is staged in the relea

New Zealand's drifting ace, Mad Mike Whiddett, tests out the new Mazda 3 Pikes Peak spec car at the Suzuka Twin circuit in preparation for the world-renowned hill climb event happening in June this year. The car is a Mazda 3 hatchback converted to rear-wheel drive and equipped with a twin-turbo quad-rotor engine and a six-speed manual transmission. Here's a video of the finished race car during its initial shakedown. Setting up the racecar The project for this particular race started in 2021, wi