Launched in 1958, Hongqi, which means “red flag” in Chinese, is the oldest automotive brand in China. The original Hongqi cars were luxury vehicles that were reserved for the use of foreign dignitaries, high-ranking government officials, and the ruling party elite. Their very first model was the Hongqi CA72, a full-sized sedan based on a 1955 Chrysler and equipped with ...

The Filipino’s love affair with sport utility vehicles (SUVs) actually and truly started when Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) launched their Mitsubishi Pajero 5-door high-roof wagon more around 40 years ago. It was the middle of the “go-go” 1980s when businesses were making a fortune and large vehicles were the ultimate status symbol. Movie stars, celebrities, and popular athletes, such ...

GAC Motor Philippines, the subsidiary car brand of Astara Philippines, has taken great strides in promoting the brand, such as establishing multiple dealerships around the country and getting popular actor Dingdong Dantes as their brand ambassador. They have also taken great lengths for people to pronounce the brand name correctly. For those who don’t really know, GAC stands for Guangzhou ...

It’s always great to see old friends and former colleagues during motor shows. At the GAC Motor display pavilion during the 2025 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) in particular, I saw Ryan Bermudez, who’s now the Sales Director of Astara Philippines, the distributor of GAC, among other car brands. “It’s been a while”, he greeted as I approached him after ...

It was a sunny Wednesday morning, April 30th, the end of the month. My wife Shawie and I drove up in the all-new 2025 Suzuki Dzire Hybrid GLX CVT to the lookout point inside the La Jolla Beach Resort in Balanga, Bataan to take a few beauty shots of our Alluring Blue Pearl Metallic media test drive unit before the ...

My wife Shawie was planning a surprise for her mom (my mother-in-law) Maryam who was going to celebrate her birthday in April 2025. Initially, our daughter Vette suggested to celebrate her grandma’s birthday at Pico de Loro Beach Resort in Batangas or at ACEA Beach Resort in Subic Bay. But because it was going to be a landmark birthyear (it ...

Why is it that when we get to borrow large media test units, such as full-size luxury cars, SUVs or pickup trucks with large engines, it’s my husband Lester who gets to drive them? Is it because of that sexist pun “Big Toys for the Big Boys”? I understand that he’s the Editor-in-Chief of this website, licensed mechanical engineer, amateur ...

Twenty-five years ago, I left my job as Customer Relations Head and National Sales Trainer of Nissan Motor Philippines (NMPI) to work as the Operations Manager of Brightpoint Philippines, the largest mobile phone distributor in the country. A few months into my new day job, I started moonlighting as a writer upon the invitation of a good friend, Manny delos ...

I don’t usually gush about electric vehicles (EVs). Sure, they are chockful of technology, are utterly efficient in converting electrical power into motion, and they operate quite silently. And perhaps, this is where my inner gearhead gets to argue with the engineer in me. After owning and driving muscle cars, sport sedans and SUVs with big V8 engines under their ...

When we first saw the 2025 JAC JS8 Pro after William Uy, the dealer principal of JAC Quezon Avenue, lent it to us for a test drive just a few days after the inauguration of their dealership, we couldn’t immediately tell which category it falls under. It looks like a midsize sport utility vehicle (SUV) but it would be unfair ...