Mazda 6 2.3 Wins 2005 Car of the Year Award

Ford Group Philippines bagged four awards, including the prestigious Car of The Year Philippines (COTY-P) award, during the Second Car of The Year Awards held March 31, 2006 at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City.

In what could be called as the "Oscars" of the Philippine automotive industry, the Mazda 6 2.3 L won both the Car of the Year and the Executive Car of the Year awards, a similar feat by the Honda Accord 3.0 L V6 in last year’s Car of the Year. Other Mazda 6 stable mates who garnered top honors were Ford Ranger for Best Pick-up for the second time in a row, and the Mazda Tribute 3.0 L V6 as Best Entry Level SUV. The Car of the Year trophy was received by Don Gelinas, Ford Group’s Vice-President for Finance from racing legend Pocholo Ramirez, SGV and Co. chairman and managing partner David L. Balangue and Car Awards Group executive director Armin Amio.

CATS Motors had their share of the pie also, with their Chrysler 300C winning the Best Luxury Car Award, while the Mercedes Benz ML 350 being bestowed the Best Ultra-Luxury SUV award. The Mercedes Benz S 350, on the other hand, gained the Best in Safety Package special award.

The diamond in Mitsubishi Motors definitely shone as the Lancer MX CVT and the Grandis won the Best Compact Car award and Best Luxury MPV, respectively. The BMW 530i Sport won the Best Ultra-Luxury Car award, while the BMW X3 2.0L Diesel SAV (sports activity vehicle) won a special citation for Best in Technological Innovation. Toyota’s Innova took home two awards — the Best Entry-Level MPV award and a special citation for being the Best Value for Money.

Hyundai’s 1.1L Getz took home the Best Subcompact Car award, while Volvo won the Best Luxury SUV for its XC70 Cross Country crossover vehicle. Audi’s A6, meanwhile, took home the Overall Design Award.

Major category winners were based on the Car Awards Group Inc.’s (CAGI) test fests held in January to February at the Forest Hills Golf and Country Club in Antipolo, all based on price following feedback from manufacturers, distributors and the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines.

With the conclusion of the 2005 COTY-P Awards Night (sponsored by the Manila International Auto Show, Rockwell Land Corp., Philippine Allied Enterprises Corp. the official distributor of Bridgestone tires in the country, Petron Corporation, SGV and Co. BPI Family Savings Bank, Federal Express, Petron and EStandard Insurance, the Automobile Association Philippines, San Miguel Corp. and Fusion R Motorsports), motoring enthusiasts witnessed the public unveiling of the Mazda 6 2.3L as theCar of the Year at the Manila International Auto Show last April 6, 2006 at The World Trade Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.