Award-giving body Car Awards Group Inc (CAGI) recently concludes its second day of testing for the search of the 2017 Car of the Year and Truck of the Year at the Ayala Land Premier’s Arca South in Taguig City.
During the event, CAGI tested several commercial trucks and vans. One top contender is the Hyundai H350. This eighteen seater van packs the height and seating capacity of a mini bus into a footprint just a little larger than that of the new Starex Commuter entered a class below.
Meanwhile, Haima entered its new F-Star minivan and dual-cab commercial utility, as well as the new M3 subcompact sedan, coming with an automatic transmission for the first time. Last year, Haima’s V70 MPV won the best MPV of the Year.
China’s BAIC made its entry with the new Bayanihan small truck and Freedom utility (single and double cabs), which seeks to capture the class trophy won by the Suzuki Super Carry last year. Moreover, Mini has also entered the Countryman D and Countryman SD. These luxurious compact crossovers represent Mini’s first foray into the diesel market.
The Car of the Year and Truck of the Year Philippines Test-Fest will resume on October 28, with the awards scheduled at the end of November. CAGI also announces the inaugural testing for the Motorcycle of the Year-Philippines which is slated on October 14 and 21.
The event is made possible by their presentor online car platform Carmudi.com.ph and auditing firm KPMG RG. Manabat & Co.