Mitsubishi MIRAGE is 2012- 13 Car of the Year

The Mitsubishi Mirage was voted as the 20122013 Car of the Year – Philippines (COTY-P) by the Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI). The Mirage bested the other 69 new models eligible for the award. The Car of the Year award is among the prestigious and highly anticipated awarding events of the local automotive industry.

What made the Mitsubishi Mirage earn this coveted COTY-P title are the exceptional value, standout packaging and the numerous features it offers. The top-of-the-line Mirage offers convenience features such as the push start and stop engine button and a dealer option touch-screen audio system equipped with GPS Navigation.

Safety will never be compromised as the Mirage features a standard dual SRS airbags, and the GLS variant is equipped with Anti-Lock Braking System with Electronic Brake Distribution, which prevents the wheels from locking in emergency stops, giving greater control even on tougher driving conditions.

The Mitsubishi Mirage, which was launched last November, instantly captured a diverse market niche because of its superb features, performance and great value for money. What’s more, this small car is also fuel-efficient and environment-friendly.

“We are truly honored to receive the Car of the Year award. I strongly believe that the Mitsubishi Mirage is greatly deserving of this award. This recognition validates our products’ world-class quality and notable features and the reasons why the Mirage instantly hit the list of the best-selling cars in the country,” Hikosaburo Shibata, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp., said. “We promise that Mitsubishi Motors will live up to its commitment of bringing you more vehicles that will perfectly fit all your needs; cars that will provide you with world-class features, quality and also driving fun,” Shibata added.

MMPC also received category awards. Mirage GLS MT bagged the Basic Subcompact Car award and the Montero Sport 3.0 V6 GLS was awarded under the SUV category.

CAGI president Ferman Lao shares that the 2012-2013 COTY-P season was a tough one. “It wasn’t just in terms of the sheer number of cars that had to be tested, but the continually increasing improvements, value and competitiveness each new model brought to their respective classes,”he said.

CAGI, which is composed of more than 60 Philippine motoring journalists, annually conducts consumeroriented testing to give recognition to outstanding new models available in the local automotive market. Eligible vehicles are qualitatively and technically evaluated to fully scrutinize the most deserving vehicle to win the award.

The qualitative test is a subjective type which basically scrutinizes the “look and feel” and comfort level of the car. Meanwhile, the technical assessment is also conducted to gauge the performance of the vehicle such as acceleration, braking and handling.