April 02, 2008

2008 World Car of the Year: Mazda

Mazda Mazda2 DemioThe 2008 World Car of the Year is the Mazda2/Mazda Demio.

The Ford Mondeo placed second, with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class third.

To be eligible for a World Car award, the contender had to be in production, and sold, on at least two continents during 2008. The winner of the overall World Car of the Year Award must excel in a broad range of attributes.

Audi R8The 2008 World Performance car of the Year is the Audi R8.

The BMW M3 came in second, and the Audi S5 Coupe third.

The World Performance Car award must demonstrate "a specific and overt sports/performance orientation while satisfying the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car of the Year award."

The World Car of the Year is a non-profit program. Vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of forty-seven (47) top-level automotive journalists from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States. The award itself has no affiliation with any auto show, publication, automaker or other commercial enterprise.

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March 04, 2008

Geneva show boasts green

Toyota iQ conceptThe EU is about to make official their proposal that will force carmakers to cut average carbon dioxide emissions by 25%; current levels stand at 160 grams per km.

That's why most automakers will be showing off their environmentally friendly vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show this week. Standouts include:

  • Saab 9-1X, a compact, ethanol-powered crossover
  • Toyota  iQ concept car
  • Audi A3 convertible
  • Kia Soul

Renault Koleos SUVNew SUVs will be on display as well, most notably:

  • Toyota Urban Cruiser, based on the Yaris
  • Volvo XC60, a smaller XC90, based on the Land Rover Freelander platform
  • Renault Koleos, their first SUV, based on partner Nissan's X-trail

Diesel electric hybrid SUV concepts will be shown by BMW and Mercedes Benz, the latter with their GLK model.

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