A new SUV model and an elegant classic van took the top awards in the 2019-2020 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards (AFPCA) last week, declaring that car buyers and enthusiasts carefully study each vehicle before choosing favourites.
The winners were the top-selling models of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) and Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) – the Mitsubishi Xpander and the Toyota Alphard.
The Mitsubishi Xpander took the 2019 Automobile of the Year (AOTY)– Standard category crown and bagged the evening’s “Model of the Year” award in the MPV/Van category.
The Toyota Alphard van took the top AOTY award in the Premium/Luxury category and also the “Premium/Luxury MPV/Van of the Year” award. The award strengthened the legendary status of the Alphard which had taken the award four years in a row from 2012 to 2015. The Alphard enters the elite circle of the Auto Focus Model of the Year Hall of Fame.
The AFPCA, organized by Sunshine Television (STV), is on its 15th edition. It is an annual public poll on the country’s most popular automobile brands and models. The scoring system attributes 80 percent value to public votes from the July 1 – September 30 on-line poll and 20 percent to unit sales.
The other four Standard Model of the Year awards were given to Toyota Wigo (which also bagged the “2019 Sedan of the Year.” Maiden victories were scored by the Nissan GT-R as “2019 Sports Car of the Year,” and the Toyota Rush as “2019 SUV/Crossover of the Year.”
The “Pickup of the Year” award went to Nissan Navara, it’s 5th after prior model of the year titles in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2018. The Navara will now step into the Auto Focus Model of the Year Hall of Fame.
The Premium/Luxury Model of the Year classifications marked three first-time awardees. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class debuted as “2019 Premium/Luxury Sedan of the Year”. The Dodge Challenger SRT was honored as “2019 Premium/Luxury Sports Car of the Year.” And, the “2019 Premium/Luxury SUV/Crossover of the Year” was cornered by the Mercedes-Benz G/GLA Class.
The prestigious recognition of the “2019-2020 Auto Focus Media’s Choice Awards” (AFMCA) were also announced that evening. Motoring media professionals comprised the AFMCA Voters’ Panel. 56 winners emerged from the 88 award categories.
These were:
Best Design – Standard: 6 Awards
Honda Brio (Mini Sedan); Mazda 6 (Midsize Sedan); Ford Ranger Raptor (Pickup); Mitsubishi Xpander (MPV); Toyota HiAce (Van); Suzuki Jimny (Subcompact Crossover)
Best Design – Premium/Luxury: 5 Winners
Mercedes-Benz A-Class (Subcompact Sedan); BMW 5 Series (Midsize Sedan); Lamborghini Urus (Large SUV); Peugeot Traveller (MPV); Toyota Alphard (Van)
Best Engine Performance – Standard: 7 Awards
Honda Brio (Mini Sedan); Subaru Levorg (Compact Sedan); Mazda 6 (Midsize Sedan); Nissan GT-R (Sports Car); Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (Large SUV); Ford Ranger Raptor (Pickup); Toyota HiAce (Van)
Best Engine Performance – Premium/Luxury: 9 Awards
MINI 3Door&5Door (Subcompact Sedan); Lexus GSF (Midsize Sedan); Porsche Panamera (Large Sedan); Lamborghini Huracan (Sports Car); Porsche Macan (Compact SUV); Porsche Cayenne (Midsize SUV); Lamborghini Urus (Large SUV); Peugeot Traveller (MPV); Toyota Alphard (Van)
Best Safety Features – Standard: 5 Awards
Honda CR-V (Compact SUV); Nissan Terra (Midsize SUV); Ford Ranger Raptor (Pickup); Kia Grand Carnival (MPV); Subaru XV (Subcompact SUV)
Best Safety Features – Premium/Luxury: 8 Awards
Mercedes-Benz A-Class (Subcompact Sedan); Mercedes-Benz C-Class (Compact Sedan); BMW 5-Series (Midsize Sedan); Volvo S90 (Large Sedan); Volvo XC60 (Midsize SUV); Volvo XC90 (Large SUV); BMW 2-Series Gran Tourer (MPV); Honda Odyssey (Van)
Best Value-for-Money – Standard: 9 Awards
Honda Brio (Mini Sedan); Suzuki Ciaz (Subcompact Sedan); MG 6 (Compact Sedan); Volkswagen Lamando (Midsize Sedan); Suzuki Vitara (Compact SUV); Isuzu MU-X (Midsize SUV); Isuzu D-Max (Pickup); Suzuki Ertiga (MPV); Toyota HiAce (Van)
Best Value-for-Money – Premium/Luxury: 7 Awards
Mercedes-Benz A-Class (Subcompact Sedan); Lexus IS350 (Compact Sedan); Lexus ES350 (Midsize Sedan); Lexus NX300 (Compact SUV); Lexus RX350 (Midsize SUV); Peugeot Traveller (MPV); Toyota Alphard (Van)
The Awards Night was graced by top officials of the country’s car manufacturers and distributors, the auto industry’s two lead organizations, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Association of Vehicle Importers & Distributors (AVID), and motoring media professionals.
Happy Motoring!!!
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