The Hyundai Elantra has bagged the prestigious 2012 Philippine Car of the Year award just a year after it was launched in the local market.

In a statement, official distributor Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (Hari) said this was another milestone for Hyundai Elantra, which has garnered a number of awards over the past year.

"This is indeed the year of the Elantra. This award, together with the COTY awards from North America, Canada and South Africa, is proof of Hyundai's commitment to consistently seek and deliver the lifestyle and motoring needs of our growing number of customers," said Hari President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo.

Hari said all entrants were subjected to stringent scrutiny in both qualitative and technical aspects, which included harsh technical tests to determine the best acceleration, braking, slalom and handling performance of each vehicle and the Elantra came out on top.

Elantra is one of the three Hyundai models that boosted sales in January and February this year. Sales of Hyundai vehicles surged by 47 percent to 4,522 units in the first two months of year, from the 3,079 units sold in the same period last year.

Hari earlier said that in February alone, vehicle sales surged by 54 percent to 2,369 units, from the 1,538 units sold in the same month in 2011.

This performance was was boosted largely by the "overwhelming" 116 percent growth in the passenger car (PC) category, as led by the sales of three models namely i10, Accent and Elantra.

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Tags: 2012 Philippine Car of the Year , Hari , Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. , Hyundai Elantra