By Manny N. de los Reyes THE TOYOTA ALPHARD better start looking over its shoulders. There’s a new kid on the block and it’s eyeing...

THE MITSUBISHI Eclipse name is back -- but it is not a hot sporting coupé. Instead it has become a very comfortable utilitarian compact crossover. Which begs the question of why use the Eclipse name? I trust that Mitsubishi, at its simplest, wanted to use the name for good recall purposes. Anyhow, our good-looking Bronze Metallic Eclipse Cross SE test model turned out to be a very competent and overachieving five-seat crossover that I reckon would be competitive in our Philippine market.

AS PART of its ongoing PitStop promotion, Nissan customers can enjoy big cash discounts and exciting service packages when they buy a participating vehicle, from now until Sept. 30. Nissan’s exclusive deals include the Nissan Almera, Juke, Navara, Terra, Sylphy, X-Trail, Patrol, and Urvan to give buyers a wide range of options.

RAYONG, THAILAND -- GM Powertrain Thailand, General Motors’ first diesel engine plant in Thailand and Southeast Asia, recently achieved its 500,000^th production milestone since production officially started in 2011. It is the first GM facility in the world to produce the four-cylinder Duramax turbo-diesel engine.

DUNLOP recently held its latest regional tire launch in Da Nang, Vietnam. Tyremart Incorporated, Dunlop’s exclusive Philippine Distributor since 1984 and headed by Chris Chilip and Cherie C. Sy, invited their 30 dealers and a handful of Philippine motoring media to test their all-new premium Grand Touring tire, the SP Sport LM705.

FORD PHILIPPINES is extending its Truck Month and Big Deal offers until the end of this month, allowing more customers to own a Ford Ranger, Ford EcoSport or Ford Explorer with bigger cash discounts and all-in low down payment deals.

MOTOR IMAGE PILIPINAS, Inc. (MIP), the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the Philippines, shipped in more units of the highly sought-after Forester i-S Eyesight to address the months-long waiting time of customers.

VOLVO PHILIPPINES gave a toast to its Swedish roots as it joins the Swedish National Day celebration hosted by the Embassy of Sweden in Manila. Held at The Fifth at Rockwell, Volvo PH participates as part of #TeamSweden and continues its strong support for the core advocacies and programs of the Swedish Embassy. It also previewed the first Plug-in Hybrid in the Philippines -- the sophisticated Volvo S90 T8 Twin Engine.

BERMAZ AUTO PHILIPPINES (BAP), the official distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country, unveiled last week five variants of the much-anticipated all-new Mazda3.

A COMPLETELY new Roadster creature. A tribute to scientific research, beauty, and uniqueness. An unprecedented technical challenge. To exceed the customer’s expectations. This is the mission and how, in 2017, the idea of the Huayra Roadster BC came to life. From a curious set of circumstances, a demanding research project was launched with a meticulous, almost obsessive focus on details and design in order to create a highly distinctive, street-legal Pagani hypercar that would combine the unparalleled sensations of driving a roadster with the most advanced technology available today.

MOTOR IMAGE PILIPINAS, Inc., the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the Philippines, is pleased to announce that its comprehensive warranty coverage for new Subaru cars will be increased to five years or up to 100,000 kms (whichever comes first) from July 2019.

YOU’VE GOT to have been living in a cave if you haven’t yet heard of the Raptor, Ford’s twin-turbo (Bi-Turbo, in Ford-speak) super-truck. It’s widely regarded, here and abroad, as the alpha of midsize pickups, thanks to its class-leading 213ps of power and 500Nm of torque from, ironically enough, its smallest-in-class 2.0-liter engine. That over-achieving motor is mated to another class-leading Raptor feature -- that amazing 10-speed automatic transmission.