Talking About Automobiles
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The 2008 European Car of the Year Finalists
The year is about to end. And so, various car of the year listings will be released soon. In fact, the 2008 European Car of the Year is being decided. 32 contenders have been studied, and is now broken down into just seven. Among the eliminated models surprisingly were the new Audi A5 / S5, the BMW X5, smart fortwo, Honda CR-V, Land Rover Freelander II (LR2), the new Toyota Corolla / Auris, and the magnificent, technology-packed Lexus LS 460 / 600h L. It is absolutely surprising that the LS 460 was excluded in the final seven, since it was able to win the title of this year’s International Car of the Year, an award ceremony unrelated to the European Car of the Year.
As with the final seven, selected vehicles will be under analysis. Among vehicles included are the Fiat 500, Ford Mondeo, Mazda2, Mercedes Benz C-Class, Peugeot 308, Nissan Qashqai, and the Kia cee'd.
The Mercedes Benz C-Class and the Nissan Qashqai (twin of the Nissan Roque compact crossover) are the only vehicles that are found in the shortlist of which are either sold or will be sold in North America. That is though Kia might bring a version of the cee’d, while Mazda has been contemplating the sale of the two models on our side of the Altlantic for quite some time. In addition, Fiat is expected to reenter the market sometime soon, with its 500. According to an article in car-reviews.automobile.com, “With much praise being directed at tiny Italian by the media as well as the new Ford Mondeo (cited by one magazine as the finest car Ford has ever made), it seems that these two vehicles are likely to duke it out for first place.”
Last year, the award winner was the Ford S-Max, a sporty seven-seat vehicle that outwitted the Volvo S80 and Land Rover LR2. Among other previous winners were Toyota Prius for its innovative hybrid powertrain, the Fiat Panda and Ranault Clio superminis for their use of interior space, advanced powertrains and clever designs.
Far different from other car of the year competitions, the European car of the year has only one category, grouping together all vehicles regardless of type. There will be no subdivisions of categories on the North American Car and Truck of the Year.
By November 17, the winner of the European car of the year award will finally be announced. So, you only have a little bit more than a month to wait and wish for your bet to take the spot.
Among other awards that will follow are the World Green Car of the Year by November, North American Car and Truck of the Year by January and World Car of the Year by April.
As with the final seven, selected vehicles will be under analysis. Among vehicles included are the Fiat 500, Ford Mondeo, Mazda2, Mercedes Benz C-Class, Peugeot 308, Nissan Qashqai, and the Kia cee'd.
The Mercedes Benz C-Class and the Nissan Qashqai (twin of the Nissan Roque compact crossover) are the only vehicles that are found in the shortlist of which are either sold or will be sold in North America. That is though Kia might bring a version of the cee’d, while Mazda has been contemplating the sale of the two models on our side of the Altlantic for quite some time. In addition, Fiat is expected to reenter the market sometime soon, with its 500. According to an article in car-reviews.automobile.com, “With much praise being directed at tiny Italian by the media as well as the new Ford Mondeo (cited by one magazine as the finest car Ford has ever made), it seems that these two vehicles are likely to duke it out for first place.”
Last year, the award winner was the Ford S-Max, a sporty seven-seat vehicle that outwitted the Volvo S80 and Land Rover LR2. Among other previous winners were Toyota Prius for its innovative hybrid powertrain, the Fiat Panda and Ranault Clio superminis for their use of interior space, advanced powertrains and clever designs.
Far different from other car of the year competitions, the European car of the year has only one category, grouping together all vehicles regardless of type. There will be no subdivisions of categories on the North American Car and Truck of the Year.
By November 17, the winner of the European car of the year award will finally be announced. So, you only have a little bit more than a month to wait and wish for your bet to take the spot.
Among other awards that will follow are the World Green Car of the Year by November, North American Car and Truck of the Year by January and World Car of the Year by April.
posted by Rocky at 10:23 PM
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