SMC Asia Car Distributor’s Corp., the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines, is hosting another round of its BMW Test Fest. The event will happen on November 11, with the brand’s iconic models, such as the BMW 3 Series, BMW X1, and BMW X3, available for unlimited test drives from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Cafe Alibi in Taguig. The new BMW iX3 will allow interested buyers to enjoy a fully electrified product experience. Aside from the chance to get behind the wheel of these thri

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

When print, radio, and television were the only sources of information, this was how a person, a brand, or even a whole country was brought down. The relentless negative narratives pushed by agenda-driven personalities would ensure that all mass media was fed with the storylines crafted to shape public opinion for or against a target. In today’s age of social media, the same is true but on a magnified scale. News and information travel faster. More opinions are heard by a larger audience than ev

Turbodiesel sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) like Mitsubishi Montero Sport and the Toyota Fortuner may rule Philippine roads, but this country will always have a soft spot for American iron. Since the late-1990s, V8-powered Leviathans like the Ford Expedition and the Chevrolet Suburban have maintained a small yet commanding presence in our streets, guzzling unleaded like there was no tomorrow. But Ford decided to shoehorn a turbocharged V6 into the Expedition to accommodate the demand for better fu

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

Electric vehicle (EV) owners should be able to drive around with confidence, even in the Philippines. That is how Chris Ward, head of the official importer and distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover in the Philippines, feels about the country’s support for larger EVs like cars. In an exclusive interview with AutoFun Philippines, Ward said he is expecting the Philippines to move faster in following global trends in electrification. “Get the infrastructure started so people have not got range anxiet