Zigwheels weekly wrap: Aug. 10-14

MANILA: The week saw two new light commercial vehicle models enter the segment and a few model-centered stories that inspire their respective followings. 

Nevertheless, the past seven days still proved that automakers are always busy with an abundance of dealer expansions, as well as sales reports—for good or bad. 

Further, we take a peek at upcoming models that will make their debut both on the local and global stages. 

Here are the biggest news stories that transpired in the past week. 

Other stories:  Mitsubishi PH earns various recognitions at Santa Rosa, Laguna GREEN Awards Fuso PH teams up with BPI for exclusive financing promo  Ex-Volvo designer to pen automobiles for Bentley

Local launch 

Suzuki Carry 

Suzuki Philippines Incorporated (SPH) has launched two new variants of the Carry light commercial vehicle in the country.  

Dubbed PUV (public utility vehicle) Class 1 and Patrol Van, the two new trims are aimed at organizations, local government units, and institutional users in the country who have specialized transport and mobility requirements. 

The Suzuki Carry PUV Class 1 gets wide windows with roll-up canvas, side-facing seats, a high ceiling, and a fire extinguisher. Meanwhile, the Carry Patrol Van has reversible seats, checkered plate flooring, roll-up canvas covers with locks, embedded side steps, and a siren with a “public address” system and blinker. 

Here are their prices: 

Suzuki Carry PUV Class 1	P849,000
Suzuki Carry Patrol Van	P822,000

Model-centric local news 

Hyundai Creta, Stargazer 

For those who do not know, Hyundai Motor Philippines Incorporated (HMPH) is the official title sponsor for the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Football Championship. And part of its efforts to back the soccer cup, is to stage the Hyundai Cup 2026, which has the Creta and Stargtazer as hero models. 

The Hyundai Creta is a five-seater small utility vehicle with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated to either the marque’s intelligent variable transmission (IVT) or a dual-clutch transmission system. It makes 157 horsepower (hp) and 253 Newton-meters (Nm). 

Meanwhile, the Hyundai Stargazer seats seven and packs a 1.5-liter gasoline mill with an IVT to make 113 hp and 144 Nm of torque. 

Here are their prices: 

Hyundai Creta	Starts at P1.134 million
Hyundai Stargazer	Starts at P1.118 million

Upcoming cars in PH 

Xpeng L03, X9 

Xpeng, which will make its official entry in the local auto scene soon, will launch the L03 and X9 in the Philippines next month. 

According to the Chinese carmaker, the former is a compact crossover—pegged to compete against the Tesla Model Y. Meanwhile, the latter, a premium battery-powered people mover, will go wheel-to-wheel against the likes of the Denza D9 and Zeekr 009. 

Here are their respective indicative prices: 

Xpeng L03	Less than P2 million
Xpeng X9	Around P4.5 million

Domain expansion 

Many auto brands operating in the Philippines have either opened or relaunched their dealership facilities last week. 

To kick things off, HMPH opened a service and parts dealership in Tuguegarao City. 

Located along National Road, Pengue Ruyu, the new installation spans 243 square meters with two service bays and provides a venue for vehicle maintenance and repair services, access to Hyundai Genuine Parts, and assistance with vehicle inquiries and test-drive scheduling. 

It was established in partnership with Elite North Autocars Group. 

GAC Philippines, on the other hand, has forged partnerships for the opening of six new dealerships in strategic areas across Luzon and Mindanao. 

The company’s new dealerships will be located at the following areas: 

• Alabang
• Bacoor
• Las Pinas
• Marikina
• Subic
• Zamboanga

The collaborations were formalized during a ceremonial signing held alongside the launch of GAC’s new multi-purpose vehicle lineup not too long ago.

Meanwhile, Radar EV (electric vehicle) has opened a new dealership in Cebu. 

It is situated at Gov. M. Cuenco Avenue corner J. Panis Street, Banilad, and has a showroom with an aftersales facility with five service bays. 

The said facility is operated in partnership with the Borromeo Group-led Pacific Autoworld Incorporated. 

As for SPH, the local wing of the Japanese carmaker has relocated its Tacloban dealership, which has just become a standalone 3S (Sales, Service, and Spare Parts) facility. 

Now located at Purok 4, Maharlika Highway, Barangay 91, Abucay District, Tacloban City, Leyte, the establishment is operated by Sakura Autoworld, Incorporated led by its  President Marco Gabriel Borromeo. 

As it appears, many car brands seem to be shifting their focus—dealer expansion-wise—in outside Luzon. Just recently, Omoda & Jaecoo Philippines have officially opened their latest dealerships in Davao City and Cebu City. 

These new buildings are in V. Rama and Davao Matina, operated in partnership with MG Gateway South Corporation. 

Joining the fun in Vietnamese carmaker VinFast, which revamped its Marikina dealership. 

It is in a 500-square-meter facility along Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue, Sto. Niño, Marikina. Now a 3S shop, it offers customers a holiticc experience. 

VinFast Marikina is operated by Xentro Motors OPC. 

Lastly, GWM Philippines gained a new partner in FAS Motors Incorporated, which will run its soon-to-rise dealer locations in Mindanao, specifically in Matina and Digos City. 

Other stories 

Sales-wise, Porsche took a hit with a 16-percent dip in overall global sales for the first six months of 2026. However, GAC is enjoying a new milestone after selling a total of 145,030 vehicles from January to July 2026.  

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation is well on its way to starting hybrid car production in the country. The company’s parent organization, on the other hand, is eyeing its second straight victory in the Asia Cross Country Rally 2026. It, too, revived the VR nameplate. 

Ford has named its newest EV truck Fathom, while Toyota partially upgraded the GR86 in Japan. Speaking of Toyota, its local subsidiary has staged the third leg of its one-make race series for the first time at the Batangas Racing Circuit.  

BMW Philippines launches the Excellence Club, while Geely Philippines snatched the Lynk & Co. brand from United Asia Automotive Group, Incorporated.  

Fuso brings back the Mitsubishi emblem in its branding in the Philippines, and VinFast could be bringing the VF 8 to the country. 

Also read:

ZW weekly wrap: May 18-22

Zigwheels PH Monthly Wrap: April 2026

ZW weekly wrap: Jul. 27-31

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