Resurgence is the word that perhaps best characterizes how GAC Motor Philippines is doing nowadays. Ever since multinational automotive distributor Astara took over local operations on December 2022, the Chinese car brand’s image and vehicle lineup have gotten a huge boost amid the surge of new cars from the People’s Republic. GAC Motor Philippines’ improved fortunes are also being helped by the recent appointment of highly respected industry veterans Franz Decloedt and Timmy De Leon, who serve

GAC has recently started accepting orders for the Trumpchi ES9 SUV (GS8 in the Philippine market). Interested buyers can choose from four versions of the SUV, with two being standard variants and the others being called the Traveller. Similar to what is available in the Philippine market, the Trumpchi ES9 (GAC GS8) locally measures in at 4980/1950/1780mm, and the wheelbase is 2920mm, while the Traveller model measures 5110/1976/1780mm with a 2920mm wheelbase. The Traveller models are much longer

The sun may have returned last week, but there are still those occasional downpours that make me always have an umbrella ready. Nonetheless, the last few days have remained hot as ever in the car scene, largely with the launch of all-new models in the most important automotive segments in the country. Check out your top five stories from August 7 to 11, 2023, in this Sunday’s edition of the AutoFun Philippines Rearview Roundup. Honey, I shrunk the Corolla Cross It’s been pretty much everywhere i

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

The 2023 Toyota Innova is one of the most-awaited multi-purpose vehicles (MPV) in the Philippines. Debuting in Indonesia on November 2022, one of the headlines for the newest iteration of Toyota’s popular MPV is the dropping of the venerable 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine in favor of a hybrid drivetrain. Although there is no word yet on when the all-new Innova will arrive in the Philippines, it will face another large seven-seater with a mild-hybrid powerplant – the Geely Okavango. For this electr

The home of VTEC is celebrating 32 years of operations in the country. Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) announced in a press statement that it is holding its “Honda at 32: Celebration Blowout” from Oct. 1 to 31, 2022. Customers can get cash discounts, low all-in downpayment, low monthly amortization, flexible financing options, and other special offers, including deals on the Honda Safety Driving Center (HSDC) automobile learning programs. HCPI was established on October 1990 under the Philipp