Philippine Car of The Year Winners 2007

[niky]

Victorious Volvo

Volvo C30 is voted Car of the Year Philippines as the Swedish carmaker hauls three other awards

Brian Afuang

EMERGING victorious in the Petron 2007 Car of the Year-Philippines (COTY-Phils.) Awards is Volvo’s sport compact sedan, the C30, having been named the 2007 Car of the Year. Three other Volvo models were voted best in their respective categories.

The Coty-Phils. awards were handed out November 15 in an evening ceremony in Makati City.

Besides the Car of the Year award, the C30 was also named the Luxury Subcompact of the Year. Meanwhile, the C30’s S60 T5 and S80 2.5L kin were voted as the Executive Car and Luxury Car of the Year, respectively.

The Manila Times tried to reach Viking Cars—the country’s official Volvo distributor—for comment but there wasn’t any reply as of press time.

Tying Volvo in its awards haul was Kia. The company’s diminutive but capable Picanto 1.1 DLX was named the Basic Subcompact Car of the Year, the Rio 1.4 Sedan won the Executive Subcompact category, and Kia’s people-movers Carens CRDi and the short wheel base Carnival 2.9 LX CRDi topped the voting for Compact Van and MPV and Executive Van and MPV of the Year, respectively.

Another big winner was Subaru, whose outgoing but extremely potent Impreza 2.5 WRX was judged as the Philippines’ Sports Car of the Year. The Forester 2.5 XT emerged as Crossover and Wagon (4WD) of the Year while the Outback 3.0R was named this year’s Luxury Crossover and Wagon.

Ford equaled Subaru’s haul as the American company’s “Built Ford Tough” trucks proved their mettle convincingly. The Ranger dominated the pickup scene, having been named as Pickup of the Year in the four-wheel and two-wheel drive categories. The Everest 4x2 is this the 2007 Executive SUV.

The Honda Civic 1.8 AT was named Compact Car of the Year and its sibling, the CR-V 2.0 MT, won as the best Crossover and Wagon in the two-wheel drive category.

In the Midsize Car category, Toyota’s scintillating Camry was tops.

As far as ultra-luxury vehicles are concerned, the Audi A6 was judged the Ultra-Luxury Car of the Year, the Chrysler Town and Country the Ultra-Luxury Van and MPV of the Year, the Chevrolet Suburban the Ultra-Luxury SUV of the Year, and the BMW X5 the Ultra-Luxury Crossover and Wagon of the Year.

The Mitsubishi Endeavor, for its part, was named the Luxury SUV of the year and the Hyundai Starex is this year’s Luxury Van and MPV. The 2007 Compact SUV of the Year is the Suzuki Grand Vitara.

Besides the major awards, 19 special citations were also announced at the ceremony.

COTY-Phils. is organized by the Car Awards Group Inc., whose members are composed of automotive journalists from the print, broadcast and Internet media. The awards were conducted in partnership with Globe Telecoms, Bridgestone, Rockwell Land, The Manila International Auto Show, San Miguel Corp., Standard Insurance, Bosch, San Lazaro Leisure Park, Concept One, Speedlab, Makati Skyline, Xenon, H&R, A-Toy Body Kits and Jollibee.

In list format:

Car of the Year: Volvo C30
Executive COTY: Volvo S60 T5
Luxury COTY: Volvo S80 2.5

Basic Subcompact: Picanto 1.1 DLX
Executive Subcompact: Rio 1.4 Sedan
Compact Car: Honda Civic 1.8 AT
Midsize Car: Toyota Camry
Ultra-Luxury: Audi A6

Sports Car: Impreza 2.5 WRX

Compact Van/MPV: Carens CRDi
Executive Van/MPV: Carnival 2.9 LX CRDi SWB
Luxury Van/MPV: Hyundai Starex
Ultra-Luxury Van/MPV: Chrysler Town and Country

Crossover/Wagon (2WD): CR-V 2.0 MT
Crossover/Wagon (4WD): Forester 2.5 XT
Luxury Crossover/Wagon (4WD):Outback 3.0R
Ultra-Luxury Crossover/Wagon: BMW X5

Pickup (2WD): Ford Ranger
Pickup (4WD): Ford Ranger

Compact SUV: Suzuki Grand Vitara
Executive SUV: Everest 4x2
Luxury SUV: Mitsubishi Endeavor

Special Awards: (thanks to asyong for posting this in the Ranger thread)

SpeedLab Tuner’s Choice Award: Honda Jazz
(hahaha... biased kayo! hahaha... buy their Jazz turbo kit! But I agree with the award...)

Standard Insurance Best Safety Package: Volvo S80 T5

Rockwell Land Best Interior Design: Nissan Teana

Best Looking Utility Vehicle: Mitsubishi Strada

Bridgestone Best Off-Road Vehicle: Ford Ranger 4x4

Most Preferred Security Vehicle: Chevrolet Suburban
(wuh??? )

Segafredo Zanetti Most Versatile Car: Mercedes Benz B B150
(Carens, personally...)

Globe Media Dream Car: Subaru’s Impreza WRX

Concept One ***iest Car: Volvo C30

Manila Jockey Club Best Exterior Design: Audi Q7

Best for Business Vehicle: Isuzu Sportivo
(again, whu??? )

Bridgestone Most Comfortable Ride: Mercedes Benz S350

Bosch Best In-Car Entertainment System: Mitsubishi Outlander

Standard Insurance Best Value for Money: Honda Jazz 1.3 CVT

Bosch Best Technical Innovation: Audi TDi
(??? everyone and his mother has CRDi already... would have agreed if this were given three or four years ago)

AAP Best Road Safety Campaign: Toyota Motors Philippines (thought Ford would get this... oh well...)

Best Marketing Campaign: Hyundai (???)

Best Media Event: Toyota Road Trek

Concept One Best Media Launch: Isuzu Metal to the Pedal D-Max launch (again, ???)


*****whew!!!! Sobrang daming awards!!!!

[niky]

I agree for the most part... except for a few... I wish the Focus TDCi would have won, but there's no denying the value for money presented by the Civic 1.8.

One niggling question... Compact SUV... since the Vitara is the only ladder frame in its class... does that even count? (The Sorento is its closest competitor... but that's probably classed with the Everest and Fortuner already).

Wala bang Executive Compact class? Basic Compact would be between 600,000 to 900,000, Executive Compact would then be 900,000 - 1,100,000.

The special awards? Funny... really funny...

[empy]

Car of the Year: Volvo C30
Executive COTY: Volvo S60 T5
Luxury COTY: Volvo S80 2.5

Basic Subcompact: Picanto 1.1 DLX
Executive Subcompact: Rio 1.4 Sedan
Compact Car: Honda Civic 1.8 AT
Midsize Car: Toyota Camry
Ultra-Luxury: Audi A6

so, the car of the year didn't even win its own class? the C30 took home the top honor, but didn't even beat the Civic 1.8 as best Compact? :rofl01:

and what are the differences between a basic and an executive subcompact, and luxury and "ultra-luxury"?

[wren]

woohoo! panalo FXT ni HBV!

[niky]

I think the Volvo C30 is considered a "Luxury" or "Executive Compact", and as such, it goes without saying that it won its category. I suppose that would explain why the Ford Focus TDCi didn't get anything... if it were classed with the C30 (which looks better, inside and out), it would probably lose.

It's the most expensive car to garner the honors, so far.

I believe basic subcompact would be below 550-600k pesos, while executive subcompact would be above 600k. Remember, PCOTY looks for value for money... and the Rio is good value for money. It rides and steers about as well as anything in its class (the steering is better than the Vios or Jazz... though the handling is a step below the Jazz) and it's priced aggressively.

The Picanto... no contest there... it's a much better car than the Spark/Alto/QQ/Aveo... and a much cuter car than the Getz.

I suppose Luxury Van is 1.5 million and over... Ultra Luxury around 2 million.

[ronw123w124]

Best Marketing Campaign - Hyundai????? Kaya pala ang mahal ng Grand Starex tapos stripped to the bones pa. Now thats what you call marketing campaign.

[suv]

the Vitara is the only ladder frame in its class

Sir Niky ano yung ladder frame?

[niky]

Ladder-frame / Body-on-frame... where there's a frame-rail upon which the body is fixed, as opposed to a unibody "shell" as used in modern passenger cars.

Many serious off-roaders are body-on-frame designs. This includes the Pajero Fieldmaster, the Ford Everest, etcetera.

Unibody SUVs are considered as "Crossovers" by the PCOTY crew. This includes the BMW X5, the new Pajero, the CRV, etcetera. These are vehicles built with on-road performance in mind as opposed to off-road ruggedness.

Aside from the Suzuki Grand Vitara, there aren't any modern compact SUVs that are not unibody.

I wouldn't have made the distinction, actually... I would've lumped them all together... bahala na si Batman kung sino manalo... :hysterical:

[suv]

^

Thanks Sir Niky for the explanation.....

Pero ganda ng Volvo C30......For 1.7 million hindi na masama......

[pup2]

Pagkuha ko nung FXT ko, sabi nung SA nanalo daw siya ng COTY CUV award -- that was in July-August? 2006 ba yun o ngayon lang nakumpleto ang 2007 COTY? :cosmo:

[niky]

I'm not sure, but I think I remember the FXT winning last year... and also winning as C!Mag's Compact SUV of the Year.

[Herbie]

Would these awards help in anyway with some not so popular (meaning bestseller) choices like the Rio 1.4MT?

[pup2]

Dunno if it'll increase the sales but it makes those who've already bought feel better about their purchase! WoW! Back-to-Back COTY CUV for my FXT! Woohoo! :party:

[Auto_Xer]

FYI, participants for CoTY-P and how they were grouped together.

Category Vehicle
Basic Sub Compact
Kia Picanto 1.1 DLX
Suzuki Alto
Executive Sub Compact
Kia Rio 1.4 Sedan
Honda Jazz 1.3 CVT
Honda Jazz 1.5 CVT
Toyota Vios
Toyota Yaris 1.5 AT
Luxury Sub Compact
BMW 120i
Mercedes Benz B150
Volvo C30
Compact
Ford Focus TDCi
Hyundai Elantra
Honda Civic 1.8 AT
Mazda 3
Toyota Altis
Mid
Honda Accord 3.0 AT
Mazda 6
Mitsubishi Galant 240M
Nissan Teana
Toyota Camry
Sport
Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX
Executive
BMW 320d
Chrysler 300C 2.7
Mercedes Benz C200
Volvo S60 T5
Luxury
BMW 530d
Mercedes Benz E280
Volvo S80 2.5L
Ultra Luxury
Audi A6
Mercedes Benz S350
X-Over & Wagon 2WD
Chevrolet Captiva 4x2 AT Gas
Chevrolet Captiva 4x2 AT Diesel
Ford Escape 4x2
Honda CRV 2.0 MT
Kia Sportage 2.0 2WD CVVT DOHC Gas
Mazda Tribute 4x2
X-Over & Wagon 4WD
Chevrolet Captiva 4x4 AT Gas
Chevrolet Captiva 4x4 AT Diesel
Ford Escape 4x4
Honda CRV 2.4 AT
Kia Sportage 2.0 Full time 4wd CRDi
Mitsubishi Outlander GLS Sport
Mitsubishi Outlander GLS
Subaru Forester 2.5 XT
Toyota RAV4
Luxury X-Over & Wagon
BMW X3
Honda Pilot 3.5 AT
Hyundai VeraCruz
Subaru Outback 3.0R
Ultra Luxury X-Over & Wagon
Audi Q7
BMW X5
Mercedes Benz ML350
Volvo XC90
Compact Van & MPV
Kia Carens CRDi
Toyota Avanza 1.5G AT
Executive Van & MPV
Isuzu Crosswind Sportivo A/T
Kia Carnival 2.9LX CRDi (Short)
Mitsubishi Fuzion GLS
Toyota Innova 2.0 VVTi
Luxury Van & MPV
Hyundai Starex
Kia Carnival 2.9 EX CRDi(Long)
Toyota HiAce
Ultra Luxury Van & MPV
Chrysler Town&Country
Ford Club Wagon
Toyota Previa
2WD Pick Up
Ford Ranger 4x2
Isuzu Dmax 4x2
Mitsubishi Strada GLX 2WD
4WD Pick Up
Ford Ranger 4x4
Isuzu Dmax 4x4
Mitsubishi Strada GLS Sport
Toyota HiLux 4x4
Compact SUV
Suzuki Grand Vitara
Suzuki Jimny
Executive SUV
Ford Everest 4x2
Ford Everest 4x4
Isuzu Alterra
Kia Sorento 2.5 CRDi
Luxury SUV
Dodge Durango
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer
Jeep Commander
Mitsubishi Endeavor
Mitsubishi Pajero Diesel
Mitsubishi Pajero Gas
Ultra Luxury SUV
Chevrolet Suburban
Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer

Total of 87 out of 97 entries were tested. Those which were not tested were because of unavailability of test units during testing period.

[Auto_Xer]

Category Winners

Basic Sub Compact
Kia Picanto 1.1 DLX
Executive Sub Compact
Kia Rio 1.4 Sedan
Luxury Sub Compact
Volvo C30
Compact
Honda Civic 1.8 AT
Mid Size
Toyota Camry
Sport
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX
Executive
Volvo S60 T5
Luxury
Volvo S80 2.5L
Ultra Luxury
Audi A6

X-Over & Wagon 2WD
Honda CRV 2.0 MT
X-Over & Wagon 4WD
Subaru Forester 2.5 XT
Luxury X-Over & Wagon
Subaru Outback 3.0R
Ultra Luxury X-Over & Wagon
BMW X5

Compact Van & MPV
Kia Carens CRDi
Executive Van & MPV
Kia Carnival LX
Luxury Van & MPV
Hyundai Starex
Ultra Luxury Van & MPV
Chrysler Town&Country

2WD Pick Up
Ford Ranger 4x2
4WD Pick Up
Ford Ranger 4x4

Compact SUV
Suzuki Grand Vitara
Executive SUV
Ford Everest 4x2
Luxury SUV
Mitsubishi Endeavor
Ultra Luxury SUV
Chevrolet Suburban

[O!lman]

Bakit kaya hindi kasali ang Hyundai Santa Fe Crdi sa Executive SUV category?

[mazdamazda]

Basic Sub Compact
Kia Picanto 1.1 DLX
Suzuki Alto

Note: Only two vehicles in this category? No QQ or Spark? Would've merged this one with the "Executive Sub Compact" in this case

Executive Sub Compact
Kia Rio 1.4 Sedan
Honda Jazz 1.3 CVT
Honda Jazz 1.5 CVT
Toyota Vios
Toyota Yaris 1.5 AT

Note: No Aveo, Getz or Accent?

Luxury Sub Compact
BMW 120i
Mercedes Benz B150
Volvo C30

Compact
Ford Focus TDCi
Hyundai Elantra
Honda Civic 1.8 AT
Mazda 3
Toyota Altis

Mid
Honda Accord 3.0 AT
Mazda 6
Mitsubishi Galant 240M
Nissan Teana
Toyota Camry

Sport
Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX
Note: No Z4, SLK, XK, Hyundai Coupe, or even a Porsche?

Executive
BMW 320d
Chrysler 300C 2.7
Mercedes Benz C200
Volvo S60 T5

Note: Shouldn’t the S40 be fighting here also?

Luxury
BMW 530d
Mercedes Benz E280
Volvo S80 2.5L

Ultra Luxury
Audi A6
Mercedes Benz S350

Note: Why is the A6 in here when it is priced the same as the 5-series & E-class? No A8 or 7-series also – the natural competitors of the S-class?

X-Over & Wagon 2WD
Chevrolet Captiva 4x2 AT Gas
Chevrolet Captiva 4x2 AT Diesel
Ford Escape 4x2
Honda CRV 2.0 MT
Kia Sportage 2.0 2WD CVVT DOHC Gas
Mazda Tribute 4x2

X-Over & Wagon 4WD
Chevrolet Captiva 4x4 AT Gas
Chevrolet Captiva 4x4 AT Diesel
Ford Escape 4x4
Honda CRV 2.4 AT
Kia Sportage 2.0 Full time 4wd CRDi
Mitsubishi Outlander GLS Sport
Mitsubishi Outlander GLS
Subaru Forester 2.5 XT
Toyota RAV4

Luxury X-Over & Wagon
BMW X3
Honda Pilot 3.5 AT
Hyundai VeraCruz
Subaru Outback 3.0R

Ultra Luxury X-Over & Wagon
Audi Q7
BMW X5
Mercedes Benz ML350
Volvo XC90

Note: No GL-class or Cayenne?

Compact Van & MPV
Kia Carens CRDi
Toyota Avanza 1.5G AT

Executive Van & MPV
Isuzu Crosswind Sportivo A/T
Kia Carnival 2.9LX CRDi (Short)
Mitsubishi Fuzion GLS
Toyota Innova 2.0 VVTi

Luxury Van & MPV
Hyundai Starex
Kia Carnival 2.9 EX CRDi(Long)
Toyota HiAce

Ultra Luxury Van & MPV
Chrysler Town&Country
Ford Club Wagon
Toyota Previa

2WD Pick Up
Ford Ranger 4x2
Isuzu Dmax 4x2
Mitsubishi Strada GLX 2WD

Note: What’s up with the separate 2WD category?

4WD Pick Up
Ford Ranger 4x4
Isuzu Dmax 4x4
Mitsubishi Strada GLS Sport
Toyota HiLux 4x4

Compact SUV
Suzuki Grand Vitara
Suzuki Jimny

Note: Why separate these vehicles from its natural competitors that were lumped in the X-Over category?

Executive SUV
Ford Everest 4x2
Ford Everest 4x4
Isuzu Alterra
Kia Sorento 2.5 CRDi

Note: No Fortuner or Santa Fe???!!!!

Luxury SUV
Dodge Durango
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer
Jeep Commander
Mitsubishi Endeavor
Mitsubishi Pajero Diesel
Mitsubishi Pajero Gas

Note: Ummm... why separate these vehicles from the X-Over category based on body type? The Endeavor is crossover too IMO

Ultra Luxury SUV
Chevrolet Suburban
Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer

[freespin]

wow, im impressed with KIA. actually, the picanto, rio, carens, carnival are sold globally which also won alot of awards.

[Auto_Xer]

Total of 87 out of 97 entries were tested. Those which were not tested were because of unavailability of test units during testing period.
To add to this ^. Car manufacturer no send unit or no want particular unit to be part of testing, we can't test or rate what's not there, as it was testing those cars and rating them as objectively as possible was a B****. :D

As to what went to which category, you can pick up Top Gear Jan/Feb issue for the short version of the events behind Petron CoTY-P 2007.
You can also read about some of the background and other new re Petron CoTY-P 2007 in the various motoring sections of print media since Nov.15 2007.

You can also send comments and suggestions to my email address Auto_Xer*yahoo.com and I'll forward it to the concerned parties for the Petron CoTY-P award body.

[niky]

Yup... just like last time... some cars just weren't available. But I disagree with the PCOTY rule that only new and updated models should be included (as well as previous winners), as an old car can still show newcomers a thing or two (remember the win of the Ford Lynx, Ranger and the Mitsubishi Lancer?)... maybe if the car isn't updated, but got 2nd or 3rd place in its category, it should also still be considered.

I remember in our talks at the shop that you mentioned the difficulty of logistics (hehehe... it would have been interesting to see what would've happened if that 13 car (or was it 19?) schedule had actually pushed through... you might've lost hair from that! :lol:

Anyway... congratulations on the job, man... seems like all those hours paid off... but I think it'll be a long while before some of the controversy dies down...