Months of CAGI’s preparation finally culminate with its launch of the much anticipated Car of the Year-Philippines (COTY-P) and Truck of the Year-Philippines (TOTY-P) vehicle TestFest that kicked off last September 23 at Ayala Land Premier’s Arca South in Taguig City.
In collaboration with KPMG RG. Manabat & Co. and Carmudi Philippines, members were able to successfully evaluate all ten of the present vehicles that sported the brands Chevrolet, Kia, Mazda, Mini, Subaru and Volkswagen. Member evaluations were guided by KPMG RG. Manabat & Co’s methodology that encouraged an unbiased and critical procedure of grading and recording results.
Each vehicle in the TestFest underwent qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The qualitative testing included evaluations on the car’s feel, and overall aesthetic while the quantitative evaluations included objective measurements of the car’s acceleration, handling, and brake performance.
The results garnered interesting results. While the Chevrolet Spark and the Trax seemed challenged, the all-new Kia Rio GL and the Picanto GT Line flaunted its capability with ease. The Japanese contemporaries present, the Mazda 2 and the MX-5 RF, boasted of its SkyActiv technology, while Subaru’s Impreza 2.0i-S fortified its position as among the top-performing favorites. Germany’s Volkswagen Jetta and Golf GTS sported the essence of German engineering, while the Mini defended its legacy.
“Since time immemorial, the rating of the vehicles given by the members of CAGI who are considered experts in the industry are designed to provide the consumers the much-needed more informed choices,” CAGI president Ronald delos Reyes stated.
Reyes likewise shared an estimate of 30-40 cars that’s to be tested for this TestFest season. He says that much of the vehicles will be from the crossover market, and that if motoring trends are consistent, we should expect to see more commercial utility vehicles included in future TestFest sessions.
The next rounds for the COTY-P and TOTY-P testing will be this September 30 and October 28. While the testing dates for the inaugural Motorcycle of the Year Philippines will be held on October 14 and 21.
CAGI has members from the following media entities: Business Mirror, Cebu Daily News, Daily Tribune, Malaya Business Insight, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, The Manila Times, Bulgar, Mindanao Daily News, AQ Magazine, Autocar Philippines, C! Magazine, Carmudi Magazine Philippines, Motorcycle Magazine, Power Wheels Magazine, Speed Magazine, Top Gear Philippines, Wheels & Gears Magazine, 2nerMagazine.com, Ignition.ph, InterAksyon.com, Kotse.com, ManilaSpeak.com, MotionCars.com, Ride and Drive Phils., Speed by MP Turbo, SprocketPh.com, TessDrive.com, DZMM, Inside Motoring on DZRJ 810 AM, Mellow 94.7, Motoring sa DZME, The Motoring Page on Mellow 94.7 FM, ABS-CBN, and Auto Review.