Red Dot design awards winners revealed for 2009

Innovative and interesting designs are rewarded each year with a 'red dot', from world renowned design institution, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, one of Europe's oldest and most highly reputed design centers.

This year a number of interesting entries in the automobile category came away with red dots, including the Kia Soul - the first Korean car to have ever been given a red dot award. Other awards went out to BMW's stunning new Z4 roadster, as well as other BMW's such as the K1300R and K1300S motorbikes.

BMW's new F01 7-Series limo also managed to garner an award, giving BMW a total of four red dots from the Design Zentrum. The new Volkswagen Golf also received a red dot award, as did the handsome new Opel Insignia and the Ford Fiesta.

The new Honda Insight also won an award - the only Japanese car to have been awarded a red dot. Other Japanese cars, such as the Toyota iQ, received honorable mentions, which recognize certain aspects of design that are innovative and interesting. Other honorable mentions include the Alfa Romeo MiTo and the new Mercedes E-Class.

The process behind choosing the winners is exhaustive, with design experts from all over the world collaborating to evaluate each entry in the competition's numerous categories. The design experts are constantly changed every year, and the selection process is made as impartial as possible to ensure that the awards remain an effective indicator of good design.