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Fiat Group
Automobiles will find out on Monday if two
of its models, the Fiat Panda (top) and
Lancia Ypsilon (bottom), have made it
through to the final shortlist of seven cars
bidding to be crowned the 2012 European
Car of the Year. |
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Fiat
Group Automobiles will find out on Monday if two of its
models, the Fiat Panda and Lancia Ypsilon, have made it
through to the final shortlist of seven cars bidding to
be crowned the 2012 European Car of the Year.
The Car of the Year award has changed its
procedure for the announcement of the winner from this
edition, now it will be made each year on the eve of
press day in Geneva Motor Show. After almost half a
century of publicising the result in late November, the
Car of the Year organising committee has reached
an agreement with the Swiss annual show to disclose the
winner in Palexpo each Monday prior to the first press
day, at 3pm local time.
It will be a ‘live’ event. The winner will only be known
in the moment of announcement, as the last votes will be
opened – and the points added – on the spot. As usual,
the candidates will be selected among the cars put on
sale in Europe during the previous calendar year with
foreseeable yearly sales of at least 5,000 units. The
shortlist of seven finalists will be issued at the start
of next week, following a simple vote by the 59 jury
members representing 23 European countries. In the final
vote, each jury member has to apportion 25 points among
at least five cars, with a maximum of 10 points for any
one of them. A statement of justification for the vote
is also due.
Thirty-five cars are in the running to fight it out for
the title this time, and with plenty of fancied
contenders, the two FGA models will have a tough job on
their hands to make it through to the last seven.
Of the two, the Panda is much more likely to reach the
final shortlist next week. Lancia’s new
fourth-generation Ypsilon arrived in the summer to
disappointing reviews, with journalists in particular
noting dynamics that fail to hit the mark and cost
savings made inside the cabin, resulting in an ambience
for passengers that doesn’t live up to its pretensions
or price. However, with Lancia being a brand nowadays
almost exclusively reserved for the Italian market (over
80 percent of its sales last year were domestic
registrations), its wider regional perception is
limited. It does also get a Chrysler badge for the UK
and Northern Ireland markets, but volumes here will be
tiny. The Ypsilon has never won Car of the Year
but the first-generation Y10 finished second in 1986, 46
points behind the Ford Scorpio/Granada.
The Panda, however, presents a much more promising case,
and should make the final shortlist. Evolutionary rather
than revolutionary, it will appeal to Car of the Year
judges who usually plump for less innovative cars in
favour of proven mainstream contenders – although last
year the panel did step away from convention to choose
Nissan’s new EV, the Leaf. The Panda does everything it
sets out to do very well, a polished all-round
performer, but has few truly stand-out features, which
may count as a handicap as it seeks to follow in the
steps of its predecessor, which won the prize in 2004.
Indeed, the nameplate has a track record of success at
Car of the Year, with the first-generation model
finishing runner-up in 1981, just 18 points behind the
third-generation Ford Escort. The Panda does, however,
face one significant challenge in the eyes of the judges
– its four-star EuroNCAP safety rating. At a time when
safety is considered a key driver of purchasing
decisions, this must count against the baby Fiat being
considered one of the favourites for the 2012 gong.
Amongst the hot tips to win the award is VW’s new Panda-rivalling
up!, which takes the German carmaker into A-segment with
a distinctive offering that is also being reworked by
Skoda and SEAT; VW also has the new Jetta and Beetle
amongst the eligible cars. The new C-segment Ford Focus
has been well-received and the brand has a strong record
in Car of the Year, although it has not won since
2007. South Korean brands are on the ascendancy at
present, and Kia has the new Picanto and Rio to throw
into the ring while Hyundai offers up the new i40 and
Veloster. Range Rover’s acclaimed new Evoque is also
likely to garner points at this stage, while the
prestige German brands BMW (1-Series, 6-Series), Audi
(A6, Q3) and Mercedes-Benz (B-Class, ML Class, SLK) all
have models to be considered. At the more quirky end,
Citroën’s DS4 and DS5 also appear on the 35-strong list.
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