Car of the year (Europe)
Car of the Year ( English ; COTY for short ), also European Car of the Year , in German-speaking countries mostly Car of the Year , is an award created by European magazines that has been awarded to one of the newly published automobiles every year since 1964 .
history
The Car of the Year award was created in 1963 by Fred van der Vlugt, editor of the Dutch car magazine Autovisie . He founded an expert jury with 26 professional car testers from nine countries . The aim was to achieve more credible results and a wider public. The number of jury members and the participating countries increased over time.
organization
Organizing committee of the leading magazines
Car of the Year (Car of the Year) is organized by seven magazines from seven European countries and carried. Their representatives meet periodically in the organizing committee. The president of the committee changes every year. His tasks include gathering the final vote, publishing the results and holding the award ceremony.
Status 2015:
- (1) Founding members
- (2) invited to participate in the 1980s
- (3) added later due to a change in sponsor magazines
(1) Germany : Wibke Bruns ( star )
(3) France : Bruno Dussourt (L'Automobile)
(3) Italy : Domenico Tudini (car)
(1) Netherlands : (Niels Visser) (Autovisie)
(1) Sweden : ( Marjo Köhler) (Vi Bilägare)
(2) Spain : (Maria Wandosell) (Autopista)
(3) United Kingdom : Chris Lowe (President of the Car of the Year 2016 ) (Autocar)
Jury members
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The jury for “Car of the Year” in 2018 was made up of 60 members from 23 European countries. A country's number of judges depends on the size of its auto market as well as the importance of its auto industry. Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom each have six members, while the other countries have proportionally fewer members.
New members join the jury at the invitation of the jury committee. Each jury member has to confirm annually that testing of automobiles is an important part of their professionally performed activity.
Status: Car of the Year 2018
Belgium :
- Stéphane Lémeret (Auto Trends)
- Tony Verhelle (AutoGids)
Denmark :
- Søren W. Rasmussen (FDM / Motor)
Germany :
- Holger Appel ( Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung )
- Ulla Ellmer (kicker sports magazine)
- Frank Janssen ( star )
- Georg Kacher (Auto Bild, Car)
- Jörg Reichle (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
- Michael Specht (automobile week)
Finland :
- Velimatti Honkanen (Tekniikan Maailma)
France :
- Thierry Etienne ( Le Figaro )
- Didier Laurent (L'Argus de l'automobile)
- Yves Maroselli (Le Moniteur de l'Automobile)
- Stèphane Meunier (L'Automobile Magazine)
- Jean-Michel Normand ( Le Monde )
- Alain-Gabriel Verdevoye ( La Tribune )
Greece :
- Efstratios Chatzipanagiotou (4-Wheels magazine)
Ireland :
- Michael McAleer ( The Irish Times , Irish Cars)
Italy :
- Silvia Baruffaldi (Auto & Design)
- Piero Bianco ( La Stampa )
- Diego Eramo Top Gear Italy
- Massimo Nascimbene (Quattroruote)
- Alberto Sabbatini (CAR)
- Giorgio Ursicino (Il Mesaggero)
- Jaco Bijlsma (Auto Visie)
- Clay Roks (Octane)
- Gert Wisse (ANWB)
Norway :
- Rune Korsvoll (Motor magazine)
Austria :
- Susanne Hofbauer (car review )
- Horst Bauer ( courier )
- Gerhard Nöhrer ( Little Newspaper )
Poland :
- Wojciech Sierpowski (AutoRok, Auto Moto)
- Maciek Ziemek (Auto motor i sport)
Portugal :
- Francisco Mota (AutoHoje)
- Joaquim Oliveira (AutoFoco)
Russia :
- Vadim Ovsiankin (Vedomosti, Autopanorama TV)
- Mikhail I. Podorozhansky (Autoreview)
Sweden :
- Jan-Erik Berggren (Expressen)
- Hakan Matson (Dagens Industri)
- Tommy Wahlström (Vi Bilägare)
- Urs Bärtschi ( Blick / SonntagBlick, Schweizer Illustrierte )
- Peter Ruch (Radical Mag, Automobil Revue )
Slovenia :
- Sebastjan Plevnjak (Avto Magazin)
Spain :
- Félix Cerezo ( El Mundo )
- Rafael Guitart (Coche Actual, Autovía)
- Alberto Mallo (engine 16)
- Juan Carlos Payo (Autopista)
- Xavier Pérez (El Periódico de Catalunya)
- Pere Prat (La Vanguardia)
- Jiri Duchon (Automobile Revue)
Turkey :
- Ufuk Sandik (Sabah Gazetesi)
Hungary :
- Zsolt Csikós (Totalcar.hu)
- Miklos Gajdan (Auto Magazin, Auto Piac)
- Andrew English ( The Daily Telegraph )
- Andrew Frankel ( The Sunday Times , Autocar, Motor Sport)
- Paul Horrell ( BBC - Top Gear , The Daily Express )
- Phil McNamara (Car magazine)
- Matthew Prior (Autocar)
- John Simister ( The Independent , Evo)
- are not represented (selection)
Germany :
- The mirror
- ADAC Motorwelt (member magazine of ADAC )
Austria :
- Alles Auto (just behind autorevue in terms of circulation)
- auto touring (member magazine of the ÖAMTC )
regulate
There is a choice of automobiles that have been launched on the market within the last twelve months. Automobiles that have only received a facelift are not eligible for election. The automobiles must be produced in series and be offered in at least five European countries at the time of the election.
The jury committee draws up a list of automobiles that are eligible for voting. The jury then votes on a list of seven candidates. In the final step, the jury selects the car of the year from these candidates . Each jury member has 25 votes available, which they must distribute over at least five automobiles. A jury member can give a maximum of 10 votes to an automobile. Each jury member must justify his choice in a statement.
The criteria for the choice are design, comfort, safety, economy, handling, performance, functionality, environmental friendliness, driving pleasure and price. Technical innovations and a favorable price-performance ratio should be particularly important criteria.
A single automobile will be determined as the winner. There are no categories or class winners.
criticism
According to the magazine Datum , the European motor journalists making up the jury are called “COTYs” in the industry and are “ensnared, courted and given the media industry's most important asset: [with] an information advantage.” The jury members would not be elected and they could also do not apply for a jury place, but they would be appointed by the “Presidium” (the members of the organizing committee ): “Qualifications and reputation are not queried. Instead, what counts is good networking in the scene and a certain talent for political intrigue. ”Membership in the jury is therefore regarded as“ nobility ”and normally lasts for life:“ A chosen person therefore takes his COTY medal with him to the grave. ”The rare one An early resignation would only occur if the journalist lost his job or withdrew from the industry.
Awards since 1964
Result statistics
Fiat has won this award nine times (as of 2019), Renault and Peugeot six times, Opel and Ford five times each, VW four times, Citroën three times; Alfa Romeo , Audi , Nissan , Rover , Simca and Toyota twice each.
Excellent automobiles
The absolute scores increased over the years. On the one hand, this was the result of the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and the associated expansion of the participating countries; on the other hand, the number of jury members changes from time to time.
gallery
- Cars of the year (selection)
The Rover 2000 sedan of the P6 series became the first "Car of the Year" in 1964.
The Honda Civic was the first Asian vehicle in the top three in 1974.
The third Escort generation in 1981 was the first winner for Ford in the vote for Car of the Year.
1985 followed by the first space for Opel with the Kadett E .
In 1992, the VW Golf won the Car of the Year award for the first time .
The car of the year 1998 title went to Alfa Romeo for the first time with the 156 .
In 2005, the second-generation hybrid car Toyota Prius won the award.
The electric car Nissan Leaf is the winner of "Car of the Year 2011".
With the Opel Ampera and the identically constructed Chevrolet Volt , an electric car was again voted “Car of the Year” in 2012.
In 2018, the award went to Volvo for the first time
In 2019 the Jaguar I-Pace and the Alpine A110 each achieved 250 points. The Jaguar won the award due to more jury votes.
The Peugeot 208 II was voted “Car of the Year” in 2020.
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See also
- Car of the year (awards worldwide)
- Convertible of the Year
literature
- Mirko Klein: Cucumbers from all over the world. In: DATUM - Seiten der Zeit , issue 02/09, February 1, 2009.
Web links
- Car of the Year - Official Website (English).
- Frank Brendel (Peeperkorn): Car of the year: who voted for something like that? (History of the first choice and the first car of the year. ) In: Carsablanca.de, January 26, 2010.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Mirko Klein: cucumbers of all countries. ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Subtitle: "For 45 years a small elite of European motor journalists have chosen the 'Car of the Year'. The UN election observers should not have been sent to vote just once.") February 1, 2009. Accessed December 6 2015.
- ↑ An expert, independent judgment of all new cars on the European market. (No longer available online.) Car of the Year, archived from the original on March 20, 2015 ; accessed on December 11, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ A b Organizing Magazines. ( Memento of the original from February 8, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) In: Official website of Car of the Year, undated. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ a b A truly international contest. (No longer available online.) Car of the Year, archived from the original on October 19, 2015 ; accessed on December 11, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ The Jury - Car of the Year. ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) In: Official website of Car of the Year, undated. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d What makes a Car of the Year? ( Memento of the original from September 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) In: Official website of Car of the Year, undated. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ Previous Winners. (No longer available online.) Car of the Year, archived from the original on December 18, 2015 ; accessed on December 11, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
