Setting up a car brand from scratch can be a daunting task. Aside from satisfying government and regulatory requirements, anyone planning to bring in a foreign brand will be faced with a number of difficult challenges along the way. That is why most automotive brands prefer to partner with a local distributor. Filipinos who run the distributorship are presumed to know the ins and outs of setting up the company, dealing with government agencies, hiring the right people, establishing systems and p

SAIC Motor Philippines, Inc. (SMP) has officially taken over the distributorship of MG Philippines and is looking to bring in three new electric vehicle (EV) models by the 4th quarter of 2023. The takeover means that MG will be officially a Chinese-operated brand in the country as part of the international organization of SAIC Motors. Concerning the upcoming EV models, the Chinese automaker confirmed at its coming out party last July 19, 2023, that these would be the MG Marvel R, the MG4 EV, and

Following the unveiling of the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro mild-hybrid on June 2023, another electrified crossover will join the Chinese carmaker’s lineup Chery Auto Philippines announced in a July 2023 press statement that the first batch of the subcompact Chery Tiggo 5x Pro, which will also feature a mild-hybrid powertrain, has arrived in the Philippines. The Tiggo 5x Pro Hybrid and Tiggo 7 Pro Hybrid, which were both showcased at the 2023 Manila International Auto Show, are expected to officially launc

Disclaimer: Maxus Philippines lent us its Maxus D60 Pro review unit with a full tank of gasoline for one full week. Would you ever imagine that within half a century, mankind would go from landlines and payphones to smartphones and internet messaging and that car technology would go from life-saving seatbelts to collision avoidance? Perspective-wise, it would probably have been difficult for the Volvo engineer who designed the seat belt to imagine a world where computers can avoid collisions alt

Looking at the Mitsubishi Xpander (Specs | News) nameplate’s sales performance last year, one can conclude that the entry-level multipurpose vehicle (MPV) is a sought-after brand. The MPV sold some 16,309 units last year – including its top-end Xpander Cross variants - and was number five in the country's top ten selling vehicle models. That said, Mitsubishi felt that the top end of the Xpander line (namely, the ₱1.328 million to ₱1.353 million Xpander Cross) had to be updated to remain a top-of

The current generation of the Toyota Alphard is getting long in the tooth as it has been on the market for about eight years. Its age marks the model as a prime candidate for a replacement. Our colleagues at Wapcar Malaysia reported that a new generation of the Toyota minivan might be coming as soon as May 2023, with renders popping up claiming to be close to the production version. While we take this information with a grain of salt as these are just renders, they give us a general idea of what