This news article came out October 6 from motorista.com

Filipino journalists launch search for 'Car of the Year'

By Armin A. Amio

It's an idea that's long been overdue. Finally, over 40 journalists covering the automotive industry will gather this month and in November to choose what will be the "Car of the Year" in the Philippines.

Locally based car manufacturers usually waste no time in heralding that their newest vehicle has been named the Car of the Year by a certain country or region. Every time this is done, motoring journalists here cannot help but feel a tinge of envy as there is no Philippine counterpart to speak of.

After several attempts over the past five years, a group of motoring journalists -- Armin Amio of Motorista.com.ph; Lester Dizon of Philippine Star and Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), Aris Ilagan of Manila Bulletin, Tessa Salazar of Philippine Daily Inquirer and Andre Palma of autoindustriya.com -- decided to put their heads together and think about how the testing can be done here. From five, the group has ballooned to over 40 journalists -- from print, television, radio and the New Media.

The testing equipment was purchased by the group to keep the procedures as independent as possible. This is despite the fact that some suppliers have offered to lend some equipment to the group. To keep things simple, only two instruments will be used -- a sound meter to gauge cabin noise and a data logger. The latter is an electronic device that is used to record measurements over time. By connecting suitable sensors, it can be used to measure temperature, pressure, humidity, light, resistance, current, power, speed, vibration or just about anything that can be measured. But this only constitutes the instrumental testing phase.

Qualitative testing will come from the journalists themselves. In this phase, they will rate each car in terms of driving dynamics (acceleration, braking, transmission, turning radius, comfort and ground clearance), interior (cabin capacity, ergonomics, features), exterior, safety, marketing and pricing qualities.

Each of the instrumental and survey phases will carry a weight of 50%. Results will be tabulated by an accounting firm and will not be released until the awarding ceremonies, tentatively set in February next year.

Support also came in from unexpected sources. AAP, the private sector automotive industry group, has offered to sponsor the testing phase. Other companies have started offering to sponsor the event as well. But that's another story.

Almost all automotive companies have voiced their support to the cause. Some firms, however, appear to be quite nervous about the whole thing, particularly if they have a lot to lose in the process. The tests could radically change their current marketing claims.

This weekend, sport compact cars -- with displacements from 1.6 liter to 2.0 liters -- will be put to the paces. Eight cars, from the original list of 12, will be tested by the members of the Car Awards Group. The eight contenders are the Mazda 3, Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan New Sentra, Hyundai Coupe and Matrix, Chevrolet Optra and Peugeot 307.

My comments:
1. How are they going to say which is better when comparing an suv, a small car, a medium sized car, a pickup, etc. Magkaiba lahat!
2. Are the things they are looking for enough, as stated above? What about the technical specs like suspension type, durability, braking power, etc.
3. Are the journalists the right people to conduct this?