To VW Polo νικητής στο “World Car of the Year 2010″

01-APR-2010: 2010 WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR

AND NOW THERE IS ONE….

VOLKSWAGEN POLO DECLARED

2010 WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR

April 1, 2010 – New York, NY – For Immediate Release

At a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and BASF SE at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan, New York, the Volkswagen Polo was declared the 2010 World Car of the Year.

The Volkswagen Polo was chosen from an initial entry list of thirty (30) entries nominated by fifty-nine (59) World Car jurors from twenty-five (25) countries throughout the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their on-going full-time professional work. Through their respective outlets they collectively reach an audience of many millions world-wide.

The jurors voted in January 2010 to establish a top ten shortlist. A second round of voting occurred in February when jurors were asked to score the top ten candidates based on merit, value, safety, environment, significance and emotional appeal. The World Car of the Year was chosen from those top ten finalists as tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

The World Car Awards jurors observed that, “Holding its own in the most competitive market segment, the all-new Polo MkV is one of VW’s star performers. Boasting best-in-segment packaging and handling, this supermini’s blend of classy looks, reliability and quality has meant it’s consistently been one the market’s best-sellers. Draped in head-turning stylish curves, the Polo is certainly one of the classiest small VWs ever built. It’s also safe; generating a maximum five-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating. Behind the wheel, the Polo demonstrates mature manners and boasts a superb driving position that’s adjustable and, in common with the latest Golf, all the controls are well weighted and precise. The Polo is just one brilliant supermini.”

The top three contenders for 2010 World Car of the Year title were, in alphabetical order, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen Polo.

“We’re honored that the Volkswagen Polo was chosen by this distinguished group of jurors as the 2010 World Car of The Year,” said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. “After the great triumph of the Golf last year, we are delighted to repeat this success with the new Polo. These automobiles have reaped numerous awards, winning well-nigh every prize the automotive industry has to award. This shows Volkswagen is on the right track and is offering arguably the best range of products in its history.”

Previous World Car of the Year winners were the Volkswagen Golf in 2009, the Mazda2 / Mazda Demio in 2008, the Lexus LS460 in 2007, the BMW 3-Series in 2006, and the Audi A6 in 2005.

Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to form a unique research partnership that will provide strategic reports in 2010, analyzing global automotive media coverage.

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.

The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy / USA) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

01-APR-2010: 2010 WORLD CAR DESIGN OF THE YEAR

AND NOW THERE IS ONE….

CHEVROLET CAMARO DECLARED

2010 WORLD CAR DESIGN OF THE YEAR

April 1, 2010 – New York, NY – For Immediate Release

At a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and BASF SE at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan, New York, the Chevrolet Camaro was declared the 2010 World Car Design of the Year.

The 2010 World Car Design of the Year award is presented by BASF SE who announced their exclusive title sponsorship earlier this year.

“BASF is extremely honored to present the World Car Design of the Year award to General Motors for its magnificent Chevrolet Camaro design,” said Robin Rotenberg, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Chief Communications Officer, BASF Corporation. “Presenting this award to General Motors is extra special for us because the Camaro gets its color and shine from BASF.”

The World Car Design of the Year category, and the corresponding award, is meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries. Cars eligible for this award are taken from the list of thirty (30) World Car candidates nominated by fifty-nine (59) World Car jurors from twenty-five (25) countries across the globe.

A design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts were:

Masatsugu Arimoto: chairman of the Japan Auto Colour Award program, juror on Japan’s governmental “Good Design Award” committee, and Car Styling’s “Car Design Awards”; Silvia Baruffaldi: Managing Editor of Auto & Design magazine; Gernot Bracht: former designer at Renault, now teaches at Pforzheim design school in Germany; Sam Livingstone: an Associate Editor of Car Design News and since 2001 has lectured at the Royal College of Art where he is now Senior Tutor in Vehicle Design; and Tom Matano: currently the Executive Director, School of Industrial Design, at Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Previously,, Matano managed the Mazda Chief Designers group that created the entire Mazda car line designs.

The experts observed that, “The new Camaro leans on its heritage but does so in an artful, modern fashion, argue our design experts. “Although it borrows some of its styling cues from the first generation Camaro, they all contribute to a simple, pure and modern appearance. It is the most dynamic Camaro ever,” says Masatugu Arimoto. Sam Livingstone appreciates the “innately seductive exterior and interior. It’s well resolved and I’d argue evidence that General Motors strikes a better balance than Ford and Chrysler do in their pony cars.”

The fifty-nine (59) World Car Awards jurors then voted on the expert’s recommendations in February 2010 and their ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

“In recreating this modern sports car, we have proven that people are just as passionate about Chevy as ever,” said Michael Simcoe, Chevrolet Design Director. “We have been delighted about the strong reaction to the Camaro — even in markets that are new to Chevy, it has been creating an emotional appeal for the brand.”

The top three contenders for 2010 World Car Design of the Year were, in alphabetical order, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Citroen C3 Picasso, and the Kia Soul.

Previous winners of the World Car Design of the Year award were the Fiat 500 in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi TT in 2007 and the Citroen C4 in 2006.

Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to form a unique research partnership that will provide strategic reports in 2010, analyzing global automotive media coverage.

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.

The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy / USA) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

01-APR-2010: 2010 WORLD PERFORMANCE CAR

AND NOW THERE IS ONE…

AUDI R8 V10 DECLARED

2010 WORLD PERFORMANCE CAR

April 1, 2010 – New York, NY – For Immediate Release

At a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and BASF SE at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan, New York, the Audi R8 V10 was declared the 2010 World Performance Car.

The Audi R8 V10 was chosen from an initial entry list of sixteen (16) entries nominated by fifty-nine (59) World Car jurors from twenty-five (25) countries throughout the world.

While the winner of the overall World Car of the Year award must excel in a broad range of attributes, there is a segment of the car-buying public for whom performance – in its broadest sense – overrides all other priorities. Candidates for the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt Sports/Performance orientation. They must also satisfy the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car award and may be chosen from that list of eligible vehicles.

Additional entrants may include newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of five-hundred (500) vehicles.

The jurors voted in January 2010 to establish a top ten shortlist. A second round of voting occurred in February when jurors were asked to score the top ten candidates based on merit, value, safety, environment, significance and emotional appeal. The World Performance was chosen from those top ten finalists as tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

The World Car Awards jurors observed that, “In the opinion of many a judge on the World Car Awards jury, Audi has at long last satisfied our hunger for a street car that lives up to the excitement of the original Le Mans series-dominating R8 LMP1 car that changed the endurance racing game starting in the 2000 season. This civilian trim über R8 shares the 5.2-liter engine and chassis of the more powerful and lighter Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, so that we all really liked driving it this year should come as little surprise. With 525 metric horsepower and a big exhaust note, this Audi has been clocked to a 60-mph acceleration time of just 3.4 seconds by several publications worldwide. Almost as impressive as the minimum $150,000 those fortunate enough get to pay for one.”

The top three contenders for 2010 World Performance Car title were, in alphabetical order, the Audi R8 10, the Ferrari California and the Porsche 911 GT3.

“”We’re honored that the Audi R8 V10 was chosen by this distinguished group of jurors as the 2010 World Performance Car,” said Johan De Nysschen, Executive Vice President of Audi of America. “This is the fifth year of the World Performance Car award and the R8 has won it twice. Whether you choose an R8 with a V8 or with a V10 engine, you get a World Performance Car award winner. The records also show that an Audi has won this award three times. The truly global nature of the World Car jury is evidence that Audi is hitting the performance car sweet spot of car lovers around the world.”

Previous World Performance Car winners were the Nissan GT-R in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi RS4 in 2007 and the Porsche Cayman S in 2006.

Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to form a unique research partnership that will provide strategic reports in 2010, analyzing global automotive media coverage.

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.

The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy / USA) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

01-APR-2010: 2010 WORLD GREEN CAR

AND NOW THERE IS ONE….

VOLKSWAGEN BLUEMOTION (GOLF, PASSAT, POLO) DECLARED

2010 WORLD GREEN CAR

April 1, 2010 – New York, NY – For Immediate Release

At a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and BASF SE at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan, New York, the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) was declared the 2010 World Green Car.

The Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) was chosen from an initial entry list of thirteen (13) contenders nominated by fifty-nine (59) World Car jurors from twenty-five (25) countries throughout the world.

The World Green Car award is presented by Bridgestone Corporation (Japan) who announced their sponsorship earlier this year. Ryoji Yamada, General Manager of Brand Management said, “We are very pleased and honored to sponsor the 2010 World Green Car of The Year. The environment is everyone’s responsibility. And throughout our global family of companies, we take this responsibility very seriously. We believe it is our mission to serve society with superior quality… not just with eco-friendly products but also in the way we produce those products a nd the way in which we support our many communities with environmentally-friendly activities such as wildlife habitats and our Lake Biwa initiative in Japan”.

“We hope that this sponsorship will help underscore to those in the automotive industry as well as to consumers that tires can help vehicles be more fuel efficient. Through our environmentally friendly “Ecopia” tire brand we expect to help drivers achieve better mileage, and therefore contribute to a more sustainable mobile society”.

Due to the complexity of some of the ‘green’ technologies, three (3) green experts were appointed by the World Car Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate. They were asked to create a short-list of finalists for review by the fifty-nine (59) jurors in their second round of voting in February. Their ballots will be tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG. The three green experts are in alphabetical order:

Sam Abuelsamid (representing North America) is the technical editor of several ‘green’ web sites including GreenFuelsForecast.com, DieselForecast.com and HydrogenForecast.com. In 2006, he began writing for AutoblogGreen.com and Autoblog.com; becoming a full-time writer and photographer and editor in 2007.

Dean Slavnich (representing Europe) is editor of Engine Technology International (ETi) and its sister publication, Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International (E&H). Engine Technology International is widely regarded as the most readable, passionate and informative publication currently produced on the subject of OE engine and powertrain design, development and manufacture.

Tadashi Tateuchi (representing Asia) is the creator and chairman of the Japan Electric Vehicle (EV) Club. He was awarded the Environment Minister’s medal in 1998. A juror on the Japan Car of the Year panel, he contributes regularly to Car Graphic magazine and the Japan Automobile Federation’s monthly magazine.

The fifty-nine (59) member jury chose the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo), the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius as the top three finalists for the 2010 World Green Car award.

Jurors felt that “It is not necessary to add an electric motor and a heavy battery pack to achieve class-leading efficiency. Based on Volkswagen’s common-rail diesel engines, the BlueMotion models are among the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market. In fact, the Passat BlueMotion can travel just about 1,000 miles on one tank of fuel in the European cycle. As far as internal combustion engines go today, these models are the ultimate you can get.”

Previous World Green Car winners are the Honda FCX Clarity in 2009, the BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics in 2008, the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec in 2007 and the Honda Civic Hybrid in 2006.

Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to form a unique research partnership that will provide strategic reports in 2010, analyzing global automotive media coverage.

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.

The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy / USA) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.