MotorAuthority

2009 European Car of the Year finalists revealed

Posted Wed Oct 1 2008 8:55 PM by Ralph Hanson

The prestigious European Car of the Year Award will be closely contested this year

Europe’s annual Car of the Year awards are on again and the finalists have been revealed. Whittled down to just seven front-runners from a field of 38 candidates, the competition is expected to be exceptionally close - there is no run-away favorite. Last year’s winner - the Fiat 500 minicar - was something of a shoo-in, picked for its high safety levels and popular exterior styling.

The seven finalists this year, on the other hand, are equally - if differently - capable of winning the overall title. Already a number of very strong cars have been eliminated, including BMW's 7-series, the Jaguar XF, the Volkswagen Scirocco and the Mercedes-Benz GLK. The handful of cars left will battle it out for the judges' approval.

The European Car of the Year awards are judged by a panel of 59 members, representing 23 European countries. National representation on the panel is related to the size of the country's car market and its importance in car manufacturing, with France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain topping the list with six members each.

To be eligible, the cars must be available for sale in at least five European countries within the 12 month period prior to the winner’s announcement on November 17 at the Paris Motor Show.

The seven finalists are:
- Alfa Romeo Mito
- Citroen C5
- Ford Fiesta
- Opel/Vauxhall Insignia
- Renault Megane
- Skoda Superb
- VW Mark VI Golf

story Tags:

• 2009 European Car of the Year
• Awards
• Car of the Year
• Industry
• Odds and ends

Reader Comments

• Fri Jun 20 2008 8:12 AM

  Alan says

  BMW 7-Series? They already have it on the list even though the new one is not announced

• Fri Jun 20 2008 12:39 PM

  chris says

  Mercedes GLK, its not even out yet. but with its ugly styling it wont win.

• Fri Jun 20 2008 10:32 PM

  JSR says

  LMAO "Chrysler Grand Voyager" who is making this list!!! LMAO

• Sat Jun 21 2008 2:37 AM

  NoNameDenton says

  I hope the Ford Fiesta wins, Ford needs some good news

• Sun Jun 22 2008 3:07 PM

  Wissam A S says

  Jaguar XF is the best car for this year...sorry guys!!

• Sun Jun 22 2008 8:12 PM

  NaBUru38 says

  Merging the list of cars that may win and the list of those that deserve to win, this is my finalists list: Mito, Q5, C5, Fiesta, Kuga, Delta, Lancer, Insignia, Ibiza, Scirocco, XC60.
  
  Now, a real short list: Mito, Kuga, Scirocco, XC60. I'll be glad if any of these wins and arrives here too.
  
  There's no French car in the final list, that's bad. Citroën, be bold as always with the second-gen C3. Peugeot, it's your turn for a third double-oh. Renault, dare dare again with the Mégane. And there's no Japanese car either, but that's because the Lancer has no chances of winning - its looks are so good it'll be included in my next racing game - Autito 666.
  
  To end with, let me give a special award to the Lancer, i10 and the Forester, the only ones available here in Uruguay.

• Wed Jul 30 2008 4:36 PM

  keleko says

  oh the XF for sure

• Wed Oct 1 2008 11:22 PM

  azlan says

  im with the xf winning!