The Isuzu Crosswind again proved that you can’t put a good vehicle down. The best-selling multipurpose vehicle — in spite of newer competition — has once again been voted the “2009 AUV of the Year” in the just-concluded Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards, besting a formidable roster of rivals in the AUV segment. The latest distinction was officially conferred to the Crosswind on Oct. 16 at the Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig. The Alterra, meanwhile, finished runner-up in the “Large SUV of the Year” category.

Year after year, the Crosswind has repeatedly topped its category in the People’s Choice Awards, in which actual car buyers get to vote the vehicles of their preference. Isuzu’s bread-and-butter model was also the “AUV of the Year” in 2008, and was in fact the overall “Automobile of the Year” in 2006.

IPC president Keiji Takeda attributes the Crosswind’s popularity and longevity to its unparalleled performance, proven reliability and unmatched value for money.

“Filipinos have been consistently patronizing the Crosswind since its launch in 2001,” he said. “Last year, data from CAMPI-TMA reinforced continued strong market demand of the Isuzu Crosswind with 5,264 units sold — the fifth-best-selling vehicle in the country overall for 2008. It is so popular that it makes up more than 50 percent of total Isuzu sales in the Philippines.”