It's an all-woman-driven Dakar 2024 Astara campaign as the Spanish mobility company is set to field two entries in the treacherous desert race this coming January 5 to 19, 2024. Set to drive the Astara 02 Concept, Laia Sanz and Patricia Pita will have co-drivers Maurizio Gerini and Paolo Boggioni, respectively, to guide them through the 12 stages crossing the Saudi Arabian desert. Astara, for those who do not know yet, is the distributor of Peugeot and GAC in the Philippines. It also operates in

This year’s auto industry rigodon has new participants. Astara Philippines, the multinational mobility distributor that handles the local operations of Peugeot and GAC Motor, announced in an August 2023 press statement that it has appointed two well-renowned executives in key leadership positions. Timmy Naval-de Leon, who was formerly head of corporate communications of the Ayala Corporation’s automotive arm AC Motors for nine years, is now Astara Phiippines’ new marketing director. Naval-de Leo

Disclaimer, GAC Philippines lent us the GAC Emkoo GE with a full gas tank for 15 days with access to its two RFID cards. The GAC Philippines debuted the 2023 GAC Emkoo at the 2023 Manila International Auto Show. It's part of the brand’s growing crossover portfolio in the Philippines as it seeks to take a bigger piece out of the local market with Astara Philippines backing it up. The new Emkoo brought futuristic styling to the motor show, turbocharged power, and many new features to attract the c

Toyota is still a dominant force in the international market. According to a global sales research report by JATO Dynamics, five of the Japanese brand's vehicles were in the top 10 best-selling cars in 2022. The Toyota RAV4 scored the top spot with over a million sales recorded, with 43 percent coming from the United States and Canada. The RAV4 was followed closely behind by the Toyota Corolla sedan, the Toyota Camry, the Toyota Hilux, and the Toyota Corolla Cross, which were all in the Top 10.

It’s time to say goodbye to the Toyota Camry, at least in Japan. Our friends at WapCar Malaysia reported that the iconic sedan will no longer be sold in The Land of the Rising Sun after 43 years of production because of poor sales in recent years. According to sales data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA), the Camry was the 44th best-selling car in the country in 2021 with 10,620 units. It outsold the Honda Accord, which wasn’t even listed in the top 50. But by 2022, even the C

There are many car models available in the market today. Each with its own peculiarities and unique selling proposition. While the more expensive models are not up my alley, I do know there are reasons why some cars are priced higher than others. And while they all basically take people from point A to B, premium models like the Toyota Camry Hybrid can either be a value for money proposition, or an unwise purchase. But as I began to understand what made each car worth its price tag, it dawned up