The Toyota Alphard has been a surprise hit in the Philippines. Even though it’s a gasoline-powered minivan, it’s boxy yet stately styling, combined with its vast and luxurious cabin, meant it was a hit for everyone from politicians to high-roller gamblers. Indeed, no five-star casino in Metro Manila is complete without its own fleet of black or white Alphards. Given its success, Toyota decided to make subtle but significant changes to the all-new Alphard and its sportier sibling, the Vellfire. T

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

Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) will be at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert Grounds until tomorrow, May 7th, for the 2023 Auto Focus Summer Test Drive Festival. At the event, the South Korean automaker will let visitors get behind the wheel of its entire local lineup of vehicles, including the Creta, Stargazer, Staria, Tucson, and even one of its latest electric vehicles (EV), the IONIQ 5. “Hyundai is thrilled to once again be a part of Auto Focus’ bi-yearly activity, as it enables us to conne

Mitsubishi Philippines has more than just a regular display planned for the 2023 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), as a Facebook post reveals some of its plans for the auto show. Unlike newer brands seeking to make a big splash at the event, Mitsubishi has a slightly more modest plan. The Facebook image post from the Japanese automaker indicates that it will be showing off a 1987 Mitsubishi Lancer as part of its heritage display and will be revealing a limited-edition, 60th-anniversary Mits

Ford Philippines continued its strong sales performance in 2022 as it sold 16,244 units from January to September this year. This is a 10% increase compared to the same period in 2021. With a total of 7,484 units sold in the first nine months of the year, the Ford Ranger led the lineup in sales with an increase of 12% in year-to-date sales compared to last year. The Ford Territory, meanwhile, also improved by 29% in year-to-date sales, with 6,430 examples sold from January to September this year

Mazda3 is arguably one of the best-selling cars in its class, grossing over 6 million units sold as of 2019, according to one reputable source. Adding to this heap of positives, are exhilarating driving dynamics, its fluid-sleekly-engineered flawless design, and a host of other, er, stable of good qualities, more or less. Short of calling it a trailblazer (because of its innovative Skyactiv mill), the car had sparked a modicum of fanfare because of those other exhilirating features found in this