The Philippine automotive market’s best-selling standard and luxury models, the Toyota Vios subcompact and the Lexus IS 350 luxury compact sedan, garnered the coveted “Automobile of the Year” title in their respective categories at the Awards Night of the “2014-2015 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards” (AFPCA).
The Vios has now won the top award 3 years in a row and is thus being considered for entry in the AFPCA Hall of Fame. The IS 350 took maiden top honors in the luxury model category after it was decided by the organizers, Sunshine Television (STV), that separate “Automobile of the Year” awards would be conferred to standard and luxury type models for the first time effective with the 2014 edition of the AFPCA.
The AFPCA, which is now on its 10th year, is a nationwide public poll to determine the country’s most popular automobile brands and models. The public poll ran from July 1-September 30, 2014. As in the previous year, the unique selection process involved the incorporation of poll results with unit sales to yield a final overall score for each of over 140 models in the Official Entry List. Official sales volume data for the AFPCA was furnished by Stradcom Corporation with the consent of, and upon the request by the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The data covered only “Completely built” and “New imported” units that were put in for new registration with the LTO from January-September 2014. “Used imported” and grey market vehicles were excluded.
In the AFPCA scoring system, unit sales carried a 60% weight factor, while votes from the 3-month on-line poll on a popular social networking site were subject to a 40% weight. The combined tally of both constituted the consolidated total score from which the rankings in 21 (11 Standard & 10 Luxury) individual Model of the Year and the separate Automobile of the Year categories emerged. With January-September 2014 sales of well over 19,000 units and a consolidated score of 11,760 points, the Toyota Vios vaulted atop the Standard Model category, while the Lexus IS 350 top-scored with 308.4 overall points and sales of 166 units in the Luxury Model classification.
2014-2015 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards Winners
Standard Sub-Compact
Winner: Toyota Vios
Runner-Up: Honda City
Luxury Sub-Compact
Winner: MINI Cooper
Runner-Up: Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Standard Compact Sedan
Winner: Toyota Corolla Altis
Runner-Up: Honda Civic
Luxury Compact Sedan
Winner: Lexus IS 350
Runner-Up: BMW 3 Series
Standard Midsize Sedan
Winner: Toyota Camry
Runner-Up: Honda Accord
Luxury Midsize Sedan
Winner: Lexus ES 350
Runner-Up: BMW 5 Series
Luxury Large Sedan
Winner: Lexus LS 460L
Runner-Up: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Sports Car
Winner: Toyota 86
Runner-Up: Ford Mustang
Luxury Sports Car
Winner: Porsche 911
Runner-Up: Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
MPV
Winner: Toyota Innova
Runner-Up: Toyota Avanza
Pick-Up
Winner: Toyota Hilux
Runner-Up: Ford Ranger
Standard Van
Winner: Toyota Hiace
Runner-Up: Nissan Urvan
Luxury Van
Winner: Toyota Alphard
Runner-Up: Honda Odyssey
Standard Compact SUV
Winner: Ford EcoSport
Runner-Up: Subaru Forester
Luxury Compact SUV
Winner: Lexus RX 350
Runner-Up: BMW X3
Standard Midsize SUV
Winner: Toyota Fortuner
Runner-Up: Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Luxury Midsize SUV
Winner: BMW X5
Runner-Up: Volkswagen Touareg
Standard Large SUV
Winner: Ford Explorer
Runner-Up: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
Luxury Large SUV
Winner: Lexus LX 570
Runner-Up: Toyota Land Cruiser
Standard Open Category
Winner: Subaru XV
Runner-Up: Kia Soul
Luxury Open Category
Winner: BMW X1
Runner-Up: Audi Q3
Standard AUTOMOBILE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Toyota Vios
Luxury AUTOMOBILE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Lexus IS 350
Meanwhile, when a select panel of motoring media professionals and practitioners gets tasked to vote on what they individually believe are the auto industry’s best, at times they collectively prove that they can be especially meticulous and fastidious about their selections. Such was apparently the case when they congregated for the “2014-2015 Auto Focus Media’s Choice Awards.” After the subsequent count on which concurrent car models are best in design, engine performance, safety features and value-for-money in their respective standard and luxury classifications, clear winners emerged in only 21 of the 84 AFMCA awards on tap.
The distinct purpose of AFMCA is to further recognize the automobile industry’s continuing efforts to provide car owners and motorists with the best on-board features, styling, performance and overall value. As one motoring media pundit put it: “It would be ideal if you had all the desirable features and performance in one model, but that’s hardly the case. However, if a prospect is looking at individual characteristics like engine performance or safety features, then our opinions as to which models have the best of these could help car buyers weigh and balance the pros and cons more knowingly before making a final decision to buy a particular model over similar ones.”
The AFMCA candidates pool consisted of the same 140+ makes and models in the Official Entry List of the 2014-2015 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards, sub-divided into the same 21 model classifications Applied against 4 designated award categories (Design, Engine Performance, Safety Features, and Value-for-Money), a total of 84 AFMCA awards were on offer.
2014-2015 Auto Focus Media’s Awards
Best Safety Features
Luxury Subcompact: Volvo V40
MPV: Volkswagen Touran
Luxury Van: Honda Odyssey
Luxury Compact SUV: Volvo XC60
Large SUV: Ford Explorer
Luxury Open: BMW X1
Best Value-for-Money
Midsize Sedan: Mazda6
Luxury Large Sedan: Lexus LS 460L
Large SUV: Ford Explorer
Luxury Large SUV: Toyota Land Cruiser
Luxury Open: BMW X1
Best Engine Performance
Compact: Mazda3
Sportscar: Ford Mustang
Luxury Van: Honda Odyssey
Luxury Midsize SUV: BMW X5
Open: Subaru XV
Best Design
Compact: Mazda3
Van; Hyundai Grand Starex
Pick-Up: Ford Ranger
Luxury Midsize SUV: BMW X5
Luxury Open: BMW X1
Forester and Ecosport in the same class? Really? Skyactive beats Ecoboost? How?
ReplyDeleteThis competition by Auto Focus is laughable. EcoSport and Forester in the same "compact SUV" class? The Forester is almost as large as a Fortuner in terms of length and width while the EcoSport is even smaller than the XV and Soul. They need a new category separating compact SUV/CUVs from small SUV/CUVs.
ReplyDeleteAuto Focus, we still remember the rigged 2011 awards where Nissan "won" big. Don't think we forgot about that ginormous blunder.
Smells like paid advertising to me..
ReplyDeleteSeriously? is this even legit?
ReplyDeleteToyota... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Lexus... oh, that's still Toyota... BMW...Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Subaru... Toyota owns part of that, too... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Toyota... Great result!
ReplyDeletePickup Category:
ReplyDeleteHILUX 163hpx343nm besting RANGER WILDTRAK 200hpx480nm? Ha ha ha !
Where's the COLORADO 200HPx500nm. Who believes, come on Auto Focus guys ???
TAKE NOTE :
ReplyDeleteFord Ranger is best in Pickup Design and only Chevy Colorado bests it in terms of torque 480nm vs 500nm of the Colorado.
This equates to at most FORD RANGER WILDTRACK as the best in Pickup Category.
Again come on Auto Focus and Motoring Media !!!
Bullshit result! It is like an election result in your country Philippines.
ReplyDeleteall of this is BS!...these reviewers need to study more. Drive more. research more.
ReplyDeletemost results are biased and brand inclined blah blah...
Ford Ecosport PWEH!!!
ReplyDeleteKenneth, this forum is for matured and professional audiences only.
ReplyDeleteIf you are not up to this level please shut up !!!
Ford Explorer is Bad Performance and Sobrang Mahal at Malakas sa Gasolina!!!
ReplyDeleteThe vios defeats the honda city? WTF?!? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteMabenta talaga ang vios..tanggapin mo na lang..
DeleteMabenta ang VIOS because of TAXI, everywhere u can see V.TAXI.
ReplyDeleteMabenta ang VIOS because of TAXI, everywhere u can see V.TAXI.
ReplyDeletevios vs city? sa sales yes vios pero if icconsider un passenger safety and ride quality honda city wins. honda city lang nakita ko na meron 6airbags na variant. this should come as standard in all cars here.
ReplyDeletei own a honda city 2014 and my mom have a vios 2015.
I am surprised why Isuzu cars / SUV's never been included among the winners...inferior quality / performance...!!! think twice before you buy one!
ReplyDelete