It’s all go for the Car of the Year Awards 2012-2013.

This after the Car Awards Group Inc. held its successful launch last Friday at the Eton Centris, the official venue for the Launch and the Testing of the annual event, at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Boulevard in Quezon City.

More than 70 new cars are expected to vie for the ninth edition of the prestigious Car of the Year Award, one of the biggest numbers of participating cars in years. Last year’s winner was Hyundai Elantra.

A brief but well-attended cocktail party was held at the Centris Walk, a new lifestyle strip in the emerging Quezon City business district triangle. The Eton Centris is a 20-hectare self-contained, fully integrated community with its innovative retail and leisure destinations, office buildings and soon-to-rise residential towers.

“I would like to welcome the Car Awards Group Inc. here in Eton Centris. We are very honored for having been chosen by the CAGI as the Official Venue for the Launch and Testings of the Car of the Year 2012-2013,” said Eton Centris’ SVP for Business Development Rhoel Alberto Nolido.

Nolido added that the testing of new cars at the venue would definitely attract more crowds to the place, which is now getting to be a popular for dining and entertainment in Quezon City.

For his part, CAGI president Ferman Lao said that this year’s Car of the Year Awards is looming to be an exciting one with the expected participation of more than 70 cars.

“The first day of testing will be held on September 29. As of our recent count, we expect more than 70 cars to be entered in the various categories. This is the reason why the CAGI member-testers are raring to see a number of cars to be tested for the next nine Saturdays of testing here at Eton Centris,” Lao said.

Lao was also with the other members of the new CAGI board of officers – namely Andy Sevilla, VP External; Bam Olivares, VP Internal; Chris Kho, secretary; and Bes Zamora, treasurer, CAGI member-testers and representatives of various car manufacturers in toasting for the success of this year’s event.