Cool Cars of the Philippines

     This GLA was spotted parked in front of a local drugstore on a roundabout in Quezon City. Pertaining to Mercedes-Benz's European looks, with its wide grille and large tail lights, this mini SUV, although dusty, was a neat sight on the road.      This GLA model, the X156, was the first GLA model to be produced. It was manufactured from 2014 to 2020 and was received well globally in its specific markets, even becoming a selectable car in the Nintendo-developed video game, Mario Kart, along with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and the Silver Arrow.      Priced at ₱2.7 million, it competed with the BMW X1, Audi Q3, and the Lexus NX. Despite competing in the SUV market, it was the smallest and shortest in its class. This gave it the handling of a regular sedan rather than a large SUV, one of its leading strengths compared to its rivals.      From the back, its increased ride height compared to smaller Mercedes-Benz models was more distinguishable, this gave it better odds at off-roading,

     One of the many unconventional design examples of the electric car, the Renault Twizy. This French microcar was seen parked in front of a garage in Quezon City. Its strange bubble-shaped structure, futuristic looks and general irregularity made it more of a head-turner than a Ferrari F430.      The Twizy, an electric two-seater, was produced by Renault in Spain from 2012 to 2018, before being transferred to Renault-Samsung, French-South Korean joint automaker. (Yes. Samsung makes cars. But that's a story for another time.)      During its heyday within the European community, the little car was sold within numerous European countries. Its cute looks, easy maneuverability, quiet electric motor, and cheap price made it the most popular plug-in electric vehicle in 2019, and by the time its production ended in Europe, it had sold over 29,000 units.      But the Twizy featured here was found to be imported through the grey market. Because of previous rulings within the law, denotin

     The mean-looking Changan crossover was spotted parked out in the setting sun on a dusty sidewalk. Its aggressive styling reminiscent of a teen boy's drawings, partnered with a color combination of red, white and black all over gave the CS75 Plus quite an assertive dynamic.      The bold SUV you see now first started off as the CS75. It started its production in 2013 as a more tame and conservative version of the CS75 Plus manufactured mainly for the Chinese market. The new version you see today debuted in 2019 as a heavier type of facelift done to the original CS75. The one featured here came with a 1.5L turbo engine capable of producing up to 178 brake horsepower and 265 Nm of torque.       Although the official top speed hasn't been announced yet, its internal engineering has become much more efficient compared to older Chinese cars, such as the GAC Trumpchi GA3, where it was only able to produce 122 brake horsepower on a 1.6L engine.      With a quick look at the rear,

     In the long, long line of Honda's history of sports cars, quite an interesting addition to its saga was the hybrid Honda CR-Z. One great example of the CR-Z was this one. The car was parked out in the sun right on the sidewalk. Its signs of dust and mud along the sides and below the undercarriage proved it wasn't just for show, this CR-Z had a history of actual driving.      The most notable additions to the CR-Z were its custom bumpers, side skirts and wheels. The front bumper's large vents added a cool airflow straight to the engine and its front splitter, attached below the bumper, was inches away from the ground. Seen right above its front wheel were the bumper's security locks screwed on to the car's front fenders. They were used mostly on loose bumpers as a method to keep ones that are unsteady from falling off.      The rear end of the vehicle looked to be a work in progress. The rear bumper was incomplete, although it wasn't too noticeable. Its larg

     This little hatchback, the Chevrolet Spark, was seen parked next to the curb on a small street in Quezon City. The Spark had sporty little touches of modifications found all over its body. This was one car you'd not expect to go out flashy.      The second generation Spark was a small city car produced by General Motors's subsidiary in Korea. Although the Spark in general was first developed by former carmaker Daewoo and produced solely by them for a few years, Daewoo was bought by GM who then continued manufacturing the vehicle with numerous distinct badges and names, such as Daewoo, Pontiac, and Holden.      The model featured here was produced in Korea from 2005 until 2009, except in India and Uzbekistan, where in the former was produced until 2017 and the latter which is still being made until today under license. A very popular car worldwide, the Spark of this generation was officially sold here by Chevrolet and is still being sold here today for only an average of ₱7

     The fourth generation of the Toyota Corolla, the E70, found parked by the street. Although a common car then, the E70 now has become quite a rare find nowadays due to its age. However, the liftback coupe was never a daily occurence then, and now has become quite a hell of a find.      The wagon-esque coupe had a conservative design with a plastic trim, with dark plastic bumpers, side mirrors and a colorless grille, featuring an "SE" badge in the center, rather than the usual Toyota badge. Underneath the front carriage was an added plastic bumper lip and two light pods surrounding the license plate.      The car's rear was also littered with badges, with words thrown around such as "SE", "L5", and "5-speed". Everything else was standard 80's design language with its rectangular tail lights, plastic provisions, and its overall blocky design structure.      The interior featured a more sporty look compared to the outside. Its sleek buck

     A Hyundai Sonata in pure snow white, spotted parked in front of an old office in Quezon City. The Sonata was about nine years old, counting down to its tenth birthday, but was still in pristine condition. Truly, a car taken care of.      This certain Sonata model started its development under the code YF in 2005, which dispensed costs up to $450 million. Afterwards, the mid-sized sedan commenced its production in 2009 until the release of the Sonata's succeeding generation in 2015. In the domestic market, the Sonata was priced at an affordable but lavish cost of ₱1.450 million to ₱1.610 million. It was a great and worthy mid-size alternative to the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry.      The gorgeous sedan shown here had distinct looks that would catch looks from passersby in traffic, featuring teardrop-shaped projection headlights and a gleaming chrome grille. This design produced, promoted Hyundai's "Fluidic Sculpture" design language, which was new at the time