As a premiere, the ceremony for the oldest and most prestigious award of the automotive world constitues the opening event for the Geneva Motor Show. The Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera/Chevrolet Volt succeeds over the six finalists, Citroën DS 5, Fiat Panda, Ford Focus, Range Rover Evoque, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Up!.

Geneva, 5 March 2012 – The Geneva Motor Show opens with a winner. The Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera/Chevrolet Volt has been voted as ‘Car of the Year 2012’. Following a series of exhaustive test drives by the jury, Hakan Matson, president of the panel of international automobile experts, handed over the prestigious Car of the Year award: to the CEO of the Adam Opel AG, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, as well as Susan Docherty, President Chevrolet Europe. The Car of the Year thus became the first hot news to leave the 82. Geneva Motor Show, which will open its gates for the press on Tuesday morning.

Matson, automobile expert of the Swedish business paper Dagens Industri: ‘The Opel Ampera and its counterpart, the Chevrolet Volt, won in a field of strong competitors, particularly on account of the outstanding technical progress they reflect. With its range extender the Ampera presents a very sound new concept on our way to e-mobility. By solving the problem of range anxiety, it is a remarkable step into future of electrification.’ He continues: ‘A Car of the Year has to show excellence in a number of categories – with special attention to the needs of consumers. All the members of our jury are experts and put the finalists through a series of exhaustive tests to provide substantial purchasing criteria for consumers.’

Karl-Friedrich Stracke, CEO Adam Opel AG: ‘The point with the Opel Ampera is, that it is a family car. Families can rely on it, using e-mobility without range anxiety. Therefore this award is extremely important for us.’

The seven finalists in for the ‘Car of the Year 2012’ were selected from the 35 most significant novelties of the year by a total of 59 automobile journalists from 23 European countries. The key criteria for Car of the Year comprise innovation and value for money but also safety, quality and design as well as environmental aspects. For the first time in the 50-year history of the award, this year’s ceremony presented the opening of the Geneva Motor Show. The final counting of votes by the international jury took place on site. The partnership between the ‘Car of the Year’ jury and the Geneva Motor Show is a long-term one. Hakan Matson: ‘We look forward to the next round in 2013.’

Mehr Info: http://www.caroftheyear.org/