After 12 months, the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) is once again ready to crown a new Car of the Year for 2011 - 2012. Scheduled on the opening day of the 8th Manila International Auto Show, the awards night will be held on March 29, 2012 at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) in Pasay City.The entires are open to all new passenger and commercial vehicles introduced between November 1, 2012 and October 31, 2011. This year, a total of 36 cars in 13 different categories are vying for the title as the 2011 - 2012 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P) and range from as small as a basic mini car to a full-sized luxury SUV.
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Car of the Year
The Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI) is proud to present its newly-elected officers for the 2012-2013 season. With an 80% re-election rate, two of our own staff members are now officers of CAGI. Our Editorial Director, Ferman Lao, continues his post as President of CAGI, while our Editor-in-Chief, Christopher Kho, takes his post as the new Corporate Secretary. Andy Sevilla and Bam Olivares maintain their positions as VPs for External and Internal Affairs, respectively, and Bess Zamora retains her position as Treasurer.
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Car of the Year
21 October 2011
COTY 2011 - 2012 Test Fest Day 6: The last hurrah
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
We have finally reached the last episode of this year's Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P) qualitative tests. The weekend's roster included a Foton MPX 12-seater, Volvo S60 T4 and T5, and a diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze. Having a short list of four contenders for the day of testing wasn’t half bad considering the impending traffic we expected from the nearby malls’ three-day sales.
As one might remember, the Cruze still is the reigning Car of the Year, so it would be quite interesting how it fairs with a new engine. But that's not the only car that stood out during last Sunday's test. The Foton MPX, for the record, was also a category winner in last year's COTY race in the Van and MPV category. Unfortunately, as a lone entry in the category this year, it might not take home any accolades. Nevertheless, we were quite impressed how much it has improved in just a year's time. The Volvo S60 too makes its come back in COTY. This time around, the S60 is armed with smaller 1.6L turbo and 2.0L turbo engines. As it missed out on a category win by a whisker last year, we're all hoping that the sexy S60 finally gets some recognition.
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Car of the Year
13 October 2011
COTY 2011 - 2012 Test Fest Day 5: Picking up the pace
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Rain or shine, the tireless members of the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) once again assembled at 7 o' clock in the morning at the All Terra Cyclery in Ortigas Home Depot, Pasig last October 9, 2011 for the fifth test fest day of the 2011 - 2012 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P). While the previous weekend's roster saw six titans slug it out for the midsize SUV title, this week's line up had a more utilitarian flair to it.
Six of the toughest pickup trucks the market had to offer were up for wrangling that day. As Toyota recently recovered the No. 1 spot in the industry, they had their heads held up high when they rolled in with their newly-launched Hilux 4x2 G diesel M/T and 4x4 G diesel A/T. The boys from Mitsubishi though were not letting their guards down. Arriving bright and early to let Toyota know that they're ready to take on the title, they came with three Strada's in tow - the top of the line GLS Sport V 4x4 in both M/T and A/T variants, and a GLX V 4x2 A/T. But, as the day unfolded, Mitsubishi's base model L200 GX single cab pickup, despite being bare to the basics, soon emerged as everyone's favorite truck.
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Car of the Year
Global ink and toner experts, Cartridge World Philippines has signed up to support the search for 2011 - 2012 Car of the Year-Philippines (COTY-P). Organized by the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI), this year's quest involves over 40 vehicles in 10 categories - all vying for the coveted title of Car of the Year.
Cartridge World Philippines counts car dealers and manufacturers among its client base. According to its Chair and CEO Babylyn Decena-Newfield, an avowed car enthusiast: "We want to be part of the industry in our own little way by partnering with CAGI. Our products and services may not be aligned with the industry, but complements the idea behind the value of approved and quality products."
By offering remanufactured and refilled ink and laser toner cartridges, Cartridge World Philippines also believes it is reducing waste and helping protect the environment.
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Car of the Year
06 October 2011
COTY 2011 - 2012 Test Fest Day 4: Clash of the Titans
Words by Jade Lu | Photos by Christopher Kho
Talk of typhoon Quiel’s arrival wasn’t enough to dampen our spirits, especially given this weekend’s lineup. In the bright morning of October 2, 2011, six titans gathered at the All Terra Cyclery, Ortigas Home Depot in Pasig to battle for the 2011 - 2012 Car of the Year Philippines title.
The morning’s sunny disposition wasn’t any indication of the day ahead. The weather had rain and shine come on and off, but it could not have been more apt. After weekends of sunshine with the compacts and sub-compacts, it was finally time to play with the big boys: the buzzed Toyota Fortuner (4x2 G and 4x4 V variants), the “infamous” Montero Sport (GLX V M/T, GLS V A/T, and the top-of-the-line GTV A/T), and the head-turning new Ford Explorer V6 Limited. The boys of the Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI) were eager to test out these giants, more so since the rains provided a good parameter with which to test them to their capabilities.
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Car of the Year
29 September 2011
COTY 2011 - 2012 Test Fest Day 3: Third Day’s the Charm (w/ video)
Words by Jade Lu | Photos by Christopher Kho
The third day of qualitative testing for the 2011 – 2012 Car of the Year - Philippines (COTY-P) was definitely jam-packed. Last Sunday, September 25, 2011, nine cars were on our chopping board at the All-Terra Cyclery in Ortigas Home Depot. It was a welcome spike in numbers, as far as we were concerned. Moreover, the lineup was pretty sweet: we got three Hyundai Elantra’s (1.6 M/T, 1.6 A/T, and 1.8 A/T), one Hyundai Accent, three Chevrolet Spark’s (1.0 M/T, 1.0 A/T, and 1.2 M/T), and two Mini Countryman’s (Cooper and Cooper S).
The weather was on our side, warm as a summer’s day, and with surprisingly little traffic along Julia Vargas Road throughout most of our runs. We were able to test most of our victims to their road-legal limits, resulting to some mixed emotions concerning certain models. To those that have been following COTY-P so far, it seems to be a common phenomenon among the Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI) members to have some startling new revelations, totally opposite from their initial impressions.
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Car of the Year
22 September 2011
COTY 2011 - 2012 Test Fest Day 2: Oddly matched bunch
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
What does a Nissan Sentra 200, Subaru Forester 2.0XS, and Kia Sportage AWD all have in common? Except for the other Kia Sportage DLX on the scene, last Sunday’s line-up was all powered by a four-cylinder 2.0L engine and fall above the one-million peso price range. But as similar as this bunch may seem on paper, they prove to be very different animals on the road. That's what we found out on a cloudy second day of the 2011-2012 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P) Test Fest last September 18, 2011, at the All Terra Cyclery in Ortigas Home Depot in Pasig City.
The eager group of motor heads got together bright and early for a quick spin around the day's selection. With only four cars on the menu, it meant that the day would end early, and we can all go home to salvage the remaining hours of what was supposed to be our day off. Ideally, each test day should be able to accommodate at least seven test vehicles, if this year's 42 nominees were distributed equally. However, due to some scheduling difficulties, we fell short of being ideal by a mile.
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Car of the Year
