CAGI to present this year's best of the best

For four consecutive weeks last October, the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI), proponent of the country’s prestigious Petron-Car of the Year-Philippines (CoTY-P), burned rubber and put their noses into the grindstone in search of this year’s Car of the Year-Philippines. Held at the sprawling compound of the Expo-Filipino inside the Clark Economic Zone, CAGI members tested and assessed the overall performance of an estimated 89 cars worth P180 million from 15 major automotive manufacturers. With some 45 members of the CAGI in attendance, the four weekend test fest was another footnote in the local motoring industry. “The active participation of the CAGI members and the automotive industry was crucial to this year’s search. We are doing this in fulfillment of our creed to be vanguards of the automotive industry and as champions of the Filipino consumers,” states Ira Panganiban, incumbent President of the CAGI/CoTY-P.

For four grueling weekends, members of the CAGI, with the aid of ALSO, a group of professional race car drivers, tested various makes and brands that encompassed the subcompact, compact sedans, midsize sedans, crossovers up to the high end cars in the luxury vehicle category. The Petron-CoTY-P test fest was conducted in a controlled environment with marshals from ALSO, overseeing the technical testing of the participating automobiles. “The technical committee conducted acceleration, braking, slalom and other vital test exercises that determined the overall performance of the vehicle,” adds Ferman Lao, head of the technical committee.

Highlights of the testing were the participation of European marquee brands such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover. Not to be outdone by their European counterparts, the Japanese carmakers also sent the best the East can offer, with the country’s top four Japanese manufacturers (Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda and Nissan) fielding their best variants to do battle in this year’s highly anticipated search. CAGI members who attended the four-week test fest had the time of their lives driving behind the wheels of supercars such as the Jaguar XKR, and pocket rockets like the Mazda Miata MX-5 and the Subaru Impreza STi. “This is a dream come true for me. I am driving one of man’s technological success stories,” adds Andy Sevilla of the Business Mirror after doing some hot laps on board the XKR.

“We are excited about the outcome of the 2008 COTY-P. We are confident that the CAGI has conducted the test in a safe and legitimate manner,” adds Raymond Tribdino, marketing chief of Nissan Motors Philippines. “We were surprised about how technical the technical testing was. I could never believe that our cars were capable of such things during the slalom and braking test,” adds Jonas Silva of Iseway Motors, distributors of Chery Automobiles. A revelation to this year’s test fest was the performance of the Korean brands such as Hyundai and Kia Motors. It came as a surprise to us at how their technology improved in just over a decade. “The exterior design, material finish, engine response are as good as the Japanese or American cars. It is amazing! It can hold its own against any of the competitors in this search,” exclaims Beeboy Bargas of Top Gear Philippines.

Based on the performance sheets filled out by the testers, the results were discussed by the CAGI Board, and sent over to Sycip, Gorres and Velayo (SGV) for the final and official tabulation. The category winners and this year’s Car of the Year will only be revealed and presented to the public during the awarding ceremony on November 19 at the One Esplanade.

Sponsors to this year’s Petron-Car of the Year Philippines are Petron Corporation, Bridgestone, AAP, C’ Italian fine dining restaurant, Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), Standard Insurance, Speedlab, Landcraft Adventures and SyCip Gorres Velayo and Co. (SGV). Media partners to this year’s search are the Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine STAR, The Manila Standard Today, Business Mirror, Top Gear Philippines, Chinese Commercial News, Manual Magazine, Gadgets Magazine, Autoindustriya.com, kotse.com and Hotwire.