Winners to be announced at the New York Auto Show

The WCOTY competition was established just six years ago and marks the culmination of the big auto shows held in the U.S. The World Car Awards are different than most of the other awards that are bestowed on manufacturers at the other shows. Unlike those given out at, for example, the North American show in Detroit, World Car nominees aren’t required to be marketed in North America. As such, many of the vehicles that appear on the list of finalists will be, if you pardon the expression, “foreign” to many U.S. enthusiasts (as well as to a few here at LotPro.com).

2009 award nominees fall into four categories: 2009 World Car, 2009 World Performance Car, 2009 World Green Car and 2009 World Car Design of the Year. Here’s how they shake out:

Ford Fiesta

2009 World Car. In order to qualify for the overall award, the vehicle had to be in production as well as available for sale on at least two continents during 2008. It also must “excel in a broad range of attributes.” The three finalists for this award are:

Ford Fiesta
Toyota iQ
Volkswagen Golf VI

Nissan GT-R

2009 World Performance Car. Unlike the overall award, the performance car must “demonstrate a specific and overt sports/performance orientation” while still satisfying the criteria of model production and availability. Vehicles in this category also must satisfy a minimum annual production rate of 500. The three finalists for this category are:

Corvette ZR1
Nissan GT-R
Porsche 911 Carrera

Honda FCX Clarity

2009 World Green Car. Unlike the other two categories, vehicles in this category only needed to be available in one major market in 2008. In addition to production models, prototypes were allowed as long as at least ten or more were released for individual or press fleet evaluations during the year. Emissions, fuel consumption and powertrain technology aimed at increasing a vehicle’s “environmental responsibility” were all taken into account during the selection process. This year’s candidates are:

Honda FCX Clarity
Mitsubishi iMiEV
Toyota iQ

Fiat 500

2009 World Car Design of the Year. Taken from the broad list of World Car candidates, a panel of four judges that included Silvia Faruffaldi, Robert Cumberford, Akira Fujimoto and Tom Matano recommended a short list to jurors who then voted on the three finalists, which are:

Citroen C5 Sedan/C5 Tourer
Fiat 500
Jaguar XF

Stay tuned, as the awards will be announced on Thursday, April 9th.

Of what significance is ECOTY?

Here at LotPro.com, we thought that you might be interested in the winner of this year’s European Car of the Year award. Although many of the juried vehicles are not yet available in the U.S., with the movement of many American manufacturers to simplify their vehicle platforms and model mix, we are very likely to see North American versions of many of these vehicles in the next decade. In addition, manufacturers, such as Fiat, are in the process of evaluating the possibility of either importing or assembling vehicles in the NAFTA region.

2008 Ford Fiesta

History of the award

Established in 1964, the ECOTY award is overseen by automotive publications from 7 different countries (England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain and Sweden). In 2009, the jury consisted of 59 motoring journalists from 23 different European countries. In order to be eligible, vehicles must be released in the twelve months prior to the award. Although the vehicles, themselves, need not be European, the nominees must be available for sale in at least 5 European countries and have anticipated sales of at least 5,000 per year.

The object of the competition is to find a single, decisive winner. There are no categories (such as truck, sport utility or car) and no class winners. National representation is based on market size and its importance in vehicle manufacturing with France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain each with six members.

In September, the Jury Committee draws up a list of eligible vehicles from all new models over the previous 12 months. The Jury then selects a short list of 7 vehicles that are put to a simple vote. Each jury member is allowed 25 points to apportion to at least 5 cars, with a maximum 10 points for any one vehicle. Members then produce a statement of justification for the vote which is published at the time of the award presentation.

2009 Opel Insignia

Opel/Vauxhall entrant wins by one over Ford Fiesta

For GM, the award couldn’t have come at a better time. Beset by financial woes, the company has had very little to cheer about for most of the year. The Insignia is the first Opel to win in 22 years but General Motors’ European company has been runner-up four times – and in 2007 the Opel Corsa lost by just two points to the Ford S-Max. Ford has won the award five times but this is the second occasion it has lost by one point.

According to ECOTY, “This year’s narrow victory emphasizes the high level of this year’s competition, which has 37 initial candidates and seven finalists. Of the 59 car of the Year jurors representing 23 European countries, 20 gave the Insignia top points, while 19 put the Fiesta in first place. “

Technical data

Body:     4/5-door saloons, Sports Tourer wagon
Size:     4.83 X 1.86 X 1.50 m.
Front and four wheel drive
Petrol engines:     1.6 to 2.8 V6 Turbo (115 – 280 hp)
Diesel engines:     2.0 Turbo (110 – 190 hp)

2009 Award Standings

1. Opel Insignia           321 points
2. Ford Fiesta              320 points
3. VW Golf                    223 points
4. Citroen C5                198 points
5. Alfa Romeo MiTo    148 points
6. Skoda Superb          144 points
7. Renault Mégane      121 points

2009 Opel Insignia