Sure, anyone or any publication for that matter can declare which is the best car money can buy today. But only an entity as prestigious as the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI), which happens to be the country’s premier automotive award-giving body, has the authority to name the Car and Truck of the Year Philippines.
On that note, they’ve named the Honda Civic RS Turbo CVT as the Car of the Year – Philippines (COTY-PH) while the Isuzu D-MAX 3.0L 4×2 LS AT took the title as the Truck of the Year – Philippines (TOTY-PH) for 2016.
The Honda Civic is no stranger to this award. Exactly 11 years ago, it won the same crown with the 8th gen. Civic proving that this compact sedan is still the best car out there even after a decade. There has also been 4 different winners in 4 years in the truck category. The Mazda BT-50, Ford Ranger Wildtrak, and Nissan Navara have all been called Truck of the Year – Philippines and it’s nice for the Isuzu D-MAX to join this extra-exclusive club.
There were 72 entries in total this year, grouped into 19 individual categories, with a category winner for each one, and an overall Car and Truck of the Year Philippines. These are all the winners in 2016.
| January | ||
| 12 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 1 | |
| 19/20 | National Drag Racing Championship Northern Series - Leg 1 | Clark International Speedway |
| 19/20 | National Drift Championship - Round 1 | Clark International Speedway |
| February | ||
| 2 | National Drag Racing Championship Southern Series - Leg 1 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 2 | Touge Battle - Round 1 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 9/10 | X30 Karting Series - Round 1 & 2 | Clark International Speedway Kart Track |
| 16 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Manila |
| 16/17 | National Drag Racing Championship Northern Series - Leg 2 | Clark International Speedway |
| 16/17 | National Drift Championship - Round 2 | Clark International Speedway |
| 17 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 2 | |
| March | ||
| 2 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 1 | Clark International Speedway |
| 2 | National Drag Racing Championship Southern Series - Leg 2 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 2 | Touge Battle - Round 2 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 2/3 | X30 Karting Series - Round 3 & 4 | Clark International Speedway Kart Track |
| 3 | National Slalom Series - Leg 1 | Robinsons Novaliches |
| 9 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Iloilo |
| 10 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 1 (Iloilo) | Iloilo |
| 10 | Philippine Rallycross Series - Round 1 | |
| 16 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Manila |
| 16/17 | National Drag Racing Championship Northern Series - Leg 3 | Clark International Speedway |
| 16/17 | National Drift Championship - Round 3 | Clark International Speedway |
| 17 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 1 (Manila) | Manila |
| 17 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 3 | |
| 23 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cebu |
| 23/24 | IAME Series Asia - Round 1 | Clark International Speedway Kart Track |
| 24 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 1 (Cebu) | Cebu |
| 30 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cagayan De Oro |
| 31 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 1 (Cagayan De Oro) | Cagayan De Oro |
| April | ||
| 6 | National Drag Racing Championship Southern Series - Leg 3 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 6 | Touge Battle - Round 3 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 7 | National Slalom Series - Leg 2 | Robinsons Antipolo |
| 7 | Philippine Rallycross Series - Round 2 | |
| 13 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 2 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 13/14 | ROK GP Cup - Round 1 & 2 | Palawan International Circuit |
| 14 | Clubman Cup - Round 1 | Clark International Speedway |
| 21 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 4 | |
| 27/28 | Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) - Round 1 | Beijing, China |
| 27/28 | Toyota Vios Racing Festival - Autocross Challenge | SM Mall of Asia Grounds |
| 28 | National Slalom Series - Leg 3 | Robinsons Sta Rosa |
| May | ||
| 4 | Touge Battle - Round 4 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 4 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Davao |
| 4/5 | Philippine Superbike Championship - Round 1 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 5 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 1 (Davao) | Davao |
| 11 | National Drag Racing Championship Southern Series - Leg 4 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 18 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cebu |
| 18 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 2 (Cebu) | Cebu |
| 18/19 | Philippine GT Championship - Round 1 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 18/19 | Giti Formula V1 Challenge - Round 1 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 19 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 2 (Cebu) | Cebu |
| 19 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 5 | |
| 25 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 3 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 25 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Manila |
| 26 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 2 (Manila) | Manila |
| 25/26 | National Drag Racing Championship Northern Series - Leg 4 | Clark International Speedway |
| 25/26 | National Drift Championship - Round 4 | Clark International Speedway |
| 26 | Philippine Rallycross Series - Round 3 | |
| 26 | National Slalom Series - Leg 4 | Cabanatuan City |
| June | ||
| 1 | Touge Battle - Round 5 | Tarlac Circuit Hill |
| 2/3 | Philippine Superbike Championship - Round 2 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 7/8 | Toyota Vios Racing Festival - Circuit Championship Round 1 | Clark International Speedway |
| 8/9 | Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) - Round 2 | Coloane Karting Track, Macau |
| 9 | Philippine Rallycross Series - Round 4 | |
| 9 | National Slalom Series - Leg 5 | Robinsons Novaliches |
| 12 | Kalayaan Cup | Clark International Speedway |
| 15 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 4 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 15 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Iloilo |
| 16 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 2 (Iloilo) | Iloilo |
| 16 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 6 | |
| 22 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Davao |
| 23 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 2 (Davao) | Davao |
| 23 | Clubman Cup - Round 2 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 29 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cagayan De Oro |
| 29/30 | Philippine GT Championship - Round 2 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 30 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 2 (Cagayan De Oro) | Cagayan De Oro |
| July | ||
| 6 | Touge Battle - Round 6 | Tarlac Circuit Hill |
| 6 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Bacolod |
| 6/7 | Philippine Superbike Championship - Round 3 | Clark International Speedway |
| 7 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 1 (Bacolod) | Bacolod |
| 13 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 5 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 13 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Iloilo |
| 14 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 3 (Iloilo) | Iloilo |
| 14 | Philippine Rallycross Series - Round 5 | |
| 20/21 | Philippine GT Championship - Round 3 | Clark International Speedway |
| 20/21 | Giti Formula V1 Challenge - Round 2 | Clark International Speedway |
| 21 | National Slalom Series - Leg 6 | Robinsons Pampanga |
| 27 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cebu |
| 27 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 3 (Cebu) | Cebu |
| 27/28 | ROK GP Cup - Round 3 & 4 | Clark International Speedway Kart Track |
| 28 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 7 | |
| August | ||
| 3 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 6 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 3 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cagayan De Oro |
| 3/4 | Philippine Superbike Championship - Round 4 | Clark International Speedway |
| 4 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 3 (Cagayan De Oro) | Cagayan De Oro |
| 10 | Touge Battle - Round 7 | Tarlac Circuit Hill |
| 10 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Davao |
| 11 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 3 (Davao) | Davao |
| 17/18 | Philippine GT Championship - Round 4 | Clark International Speedway |
| 18 | National Slalom Series - Leg 7 | Robinsons Antipolo |
| 24 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Manila |
| 24/25 | Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) - Round 3 | Clark International Speedway Kart Track |
| 24/25 | ROK GP Cup - Round 5 & 6 | Clark International Speedway Kart Track |
| 25 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 3 (Manila) | Manila |
| 25 | Philippine Rallycross Series - Round 6 | |
| 25 | Philippine Autocross Championship Series - Leg 8 | |
| 30/31 | Toyota Vios Racing Festival - Circuit Championship Round 2 | Clark International Speedway |
| 31 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 7 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 31 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cebu |
| September | ||
| 1 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 4 (Cebu) | Cebu |
| 1 | Clubman Cup - Round 3 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 7 | Touge Battle - Round 8 | Tarlac Circuit Hill |
| 7 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Bacolod |
| 8 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 2 (Bacolod) | Bacolod |
| 8 | National Slalom Series - Leg 8 | Cabanatuan City |
| 7/8 | Philippine Superbike Championship - Round 5 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 21 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Davao |
| 21/22 | Philippine GT Championship - Round 5 | Batangas Racing Circuit |
| 22 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 4 (Davao) | Davao |
| 22 | Philippine Rallycross Series - Round 7 | |
| 28 | FlatOut Race Series - Round 8 | Clark International Speedway |
| 28 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Cagayan De Oro |
| 28/29 | X30 Karting Series - Round 5 & 6 | Clark International Speedway Kart Track |
| 29 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 4 (Cagayan De Oro) | Cagayan De Oro |
| 29 | National Slalom Series - Leg 9 | Baguio Athletic Bowl |
| October | ||
| 5 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Iloilo |
| 5/6 | Philippine Superbike Championship - Round 6 | Clark International Speedway |
| 6 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 4 (Iloilo) | Iloilo |
| 12 | Wheelfest | Clark International Speedway |
| 12 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Bacolod |
| 12 | National Drift Championship - Round 5 | Clark International Speedway |
| 13 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 3 (Bacolod) | Bacolod |
| 19 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Manila |
| 19/20 | Philippine GT Championship - Round 6 | Clark International Speedway |
| 19/20 | Giti Formula V1 Challenge - Round 3 | Clark International Speedway |
| 20 | National Slalom Series - Leg 10 | |
| 26 | Motorsport Development Program - Module | Manila |
| 26 | MSDP Gymkhana - Leg 4 (Manila) | Manila |
| 27 | MSDP National Gymkhana Championship | Manila |
| November | ||
| 3 | Clubman Cup - Round 4 | Clark International Speedway |
| 8/9 | Toyota Vios Racing Festival - Circuit Championship Round 3 | Clark International Speedway |
| 9/10 | Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) - Round 4 | Bira International Circuit, Thailand |
| 10 | National Slalom Series - Leg 11 | Robinsons Antipolo |
| 16 | Giti Formula V1 Challenge - Ultra 4Hr Endurance | Clark International Speedway |
| 23/24 | Formula 4 South East Asia | Clark International Speedway |
| 30 | Philippine Endurance Challenge - 8 Oras ng Pilipinas | Clark International Speedway |
| December | ||
| 1 | Philippine Endurance Challenge - 8 Oras ng Pilipinas | Clark International Speedway |
| 7/8 | Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) - Round 5 | Coloane Karting Track, Macau |
| 7/8 | King Of Nations | Clark International Speedway |
| 8 | National Slalom Series - Leg 12 | Robinsons Pampanga |
“The COTY Awards is not simply a show of hands or popularity contest. It’s the only award in the country that is based on instrumented tests to gather evidence of real world acceleration, braking, and handling performance. No other organization employs such stringent testing methods to determine their COTY winners. After the number crunching by KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co., this data driven, unbiased program, ensures an accurate representation of an outstanding vehicle on category and overall basis. We trust that the COTY Awards will guide you in purchasing your next motor vehicle,” said Robby Consunji, President, Car Awards Group, Inc.
Established in 2004, the CAGI is the longest-running organization of motoring journalists in the country today. It’s current membership has media representatives from 35 entities.
The 2016 CAGI Car of the Year Awards is co-presented by Carmudi.com.ph and was made possible by partner KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. Other sponsors include Ayala Land Premier; NUVALI; Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation; Motolite Batteries; El Cielito Hotel – Sta. Rosa; Manila International Auto Show; Worldbex International; and Speedlab. Drinks at the Awards Night was provided by Johnnie Walker. Official media partners include BusinessMirror, BusinessWorld, Malaya Business Insight, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Times, The Philippine Star, Auto Review, Turbo Zone, and JamesDeakin.ph.
