The Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 LT sedan bested thirteen other category winners to take the 2010-2011 Car of the Year award, given this year at the Manila International Auto Show. On hand to accept the award was GM Southeast Asia President Martin Apfel, who earlier had revealed the new Chevrolet Orlando MPV and Traverse SUV; and Albert Arcilla, President of Chevrolet distributor The Covenant Car Company Inc. (TCCCI). The award was given by the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI), a non-profit corporation comprised of motoring journalists. CAGI President Ferman Lao handed out the trophy to a jubilant Chevrolet team.
As the winner of the tightly-contested award was announced, a whoop of joy went up from the Chevrolet camp. The Cruze is part of Chevrolet’s bid to claw back market share under its new distributor, and the centerpiece of TCCI’s campaign to relaunch the American icon as a reliable, versatile, and even fun brand
The Cruze was already revealed as the category winner in the compact car segment and was a popular favorite, together with the Ford Fiesta hatchback. Ferman Lao, CAGI President had this insight: “The Cruze’s level of premium content may well have given it an edge It contains high-end features normally found only on more expensive cars, even though it is competing in the compact car level.” Mr. Lao noted that the overall COTY winner was not selected by consensus, but rather by individual ballot. This means that a majority of the CAGI panel must have voted for the Cruze.
COTY voting involves two scores, an objective score which is the result of controlled instrumented testing for acceleration and braking, and a subjective score based on points awarded after a test drive along a predetermined route. The car that attains the most points in its category is declared the winner. The Car of the Year is then selected from the category winners.
This year’s category winners are: Sub Compact Car – Ford Fiesta, Compact Car – Chevrolet Cruze, Mid Size Car – Hyundai Sonata, Premium Mid Size Car – Jaguar XF, Sports Car/Sedan – Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, Sub Compact Crossover – Kia Soul, Compact Cross Over 2WD – Mitsubishi ASX, Compact Cross Over 4WD – Hyundai Tucson, Mid Size Cross Over – Hyundai Sta. Fe, Premium Cross Over – Nissan Murano, Van & MPV – Foton MPX, Premium Van & MPV – Toyota Alphard
Mid Size SUV – Mitsubishi Montero Sport GLX, and Pickup – Foton Blizzard. The Cruze’s win marks the second time that the award was given to a compact car. The Honda Civic has previously won COTY. Although the Subaru Impreza WRX STI is a compact car, the category it competed in was the Sports Car category.
The Cruze is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission, compared to four and five-speeds for most of its rivals. This helps it squeeze more km per liter out of its 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. TCCI also touts the Cruze’s rock-solid chassis, which enables it to be quieter and sharper-handling, while retaining a comfortable ride. Recently, the Cruze family was expanded with the addition of a diesel variant, also mated to a six-speed automatic. The diesel Cruze should be eligible for next year’s COTY, which should be an interesting challenge to other contenders for the COTY crown.
The Cruze was on display at the Manila International Auto Show’s Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), along with the fourteen COTY category winners. The category winners were lined up front and center of the exhibition space. Meanwhile, the Cruze occupied a place of honor at the WTC main lobby.
The Cruze’s win coincides with the celebration of 100 years of Chevrolet in 2011. The anniversary was also commemorated with a heritage display at the PTTC area of MIAS.
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