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

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

What seemed like a mundane press statement from Mazda’s press office turned out to have a little white gem. In a November 2022 update on the Japanese carmaker’s management plans until 2030, there were photos of a swoopy and sleek coupe called the “Vision Study Model.” From its thin headlights to its curvaceous wheel arches, the concept car looks like a futuristic MX-5 or a potential RX-7 successor. Although Mazda made absolutely no mention of the Vision Study Model in its press statement, it mig

With the impending launch of the Hyundai Stargazer, Filipino subcompact MPV buyers will again be given another option to choose from in this hotly contested category. Along with the Suzuki Ertiga, the Toyota Veloz and Avanza, the Honda BR-V, the Mitsubishi Xpander, and the recently launched Nissan Livina, you can see how car manufacturers are going after a bigger slice of this growing pie. The trend is also evident around the ASEAN region, with PT Hyundai Motors Indonesia recently unveiling the

If you’re a regular at the annual Manila International Auto Show, you will have heard of Russ Swift. He has become the darling of motor shows worldwide because of his incredible precision driving showcases. Even with ordinary cars, he can execute flawless reverse J-turns, drive up on two wheels, and, his signature stunt, parallel park in the tightest spaces. This weekend, you can witness the legendary autotester in action at the second Subaru Advanced Technology Drive on Oct. 7-9, 2022 at the Ga

Toyota Indonesia has reached the 2 million export sales mark in early February 2022, 35 years after the company first started shipping cars overseas, and 4 years after surpassing 1 million cumulative exports in 2018. At the same time, the company will begin exports of the Toyota Fortuner to Australia in March 2022. Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, was present at the commemorative ceremony held at the company's Karawang, West Java assembly plant. That said, the company is also locally-assemblin