1:15 pm, March 6, 2012
GENERAL Motors’ eco-pair – the Vauxhall Ampera and Chevrolet Volt – have won the ‘Car of the Year’ award.
The panel of judges, made up of 59 leading automotive journalists from 23 European nations, gave the title to the Vauxhall Ampera/Chevrolet Volt and awarded them 330 points, followed by the against VW Up (281) and Ford Focus (256).
The Opel/Vauxhall CEO, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, and Chevrolet’s president and managing director for Europe, Susan Docherty, were both handed the ‘Car of the Year 2012’ award by the president of the COTY judging panel, Hakan Matson.
The Ampera and the Volt emerged as the joint overall winner in a field of seven COTY finalists. Initially, 35 recently launched vehicles entered the contest. The selection criteria applied by the judges were based on attributes such as design, comfort, performance and especially innovative technologies as well as efficiency.
‘It is a proud moment for us and an honour to receive this award from Europe’s leading jury of automotive journalists,’ said Docherty. ‘Our car demonstrates that electric driving can be fun and reliable without ever compromising the owners’ lifestyle.’
