The Car Awards Group Incorporated (CAGI), proponents of the prestigious Petron-Car of the Year-Philippines (CoTY-P), recently held its first testfest at the sprawling grounds of the Clark Ecozone. In attendance were six major automotive manufacturers which fielded their variants for the subcompact car category. “We are pleased with the support of the car industry and our members on our first weekend of testing. This reflects their trust and confidence in our organization,” states Ira Panganiban, CAGI President.

The 150-strong members of the CAGI, which is composed of media practitioners from the print and broadcast and online media tested the cars in a technical track specially prepared by the Petron CoTY-P technical crew led by Ferman Lao and ALSO, a team of professional rallye drivers. Tested were the Channa Benni, Cherry QQ, Geely, Hyundai i10, Kia Rio, Toyota Vios and the Honda Jazz. “We are happy that the CAGI prepared a challenging venue for the cars which the media can test the acceleration, handling, riding comfort and braking test of the units in a controlled and safe environment,” adds Chut Velasquez of Columbian Autocars, exclusive distributors of the Kia brand, which won last year’s Subcompact category.

 Now on its 5^th year, the Petron 2008 CoTY-P will conduct testing all throughout the weekends of October which would encompass the various categories of the Petron-Car of the Year Awards. This year’s Car of the Year search is sponsored by Petron Corporation, Clark Ecozone, AAP, SpeedLab, LandCraft, Manila International Auto Show, C’ Fine Dining Restaurant, Bridgestone, Standard Insurance, Bosch and One Esplanade.

Photos by: Mikko David, Ferman Lao