Autoblog

Isn't it nice when everyone gets along? Every year, rather than naming their own selection, several of the largest automotive publications in Europe get together and pick their Car of the Year. A list is compiled of all eligible bachelors nominees, then the list is narrowed down to a handful (usually seven or eight) finalists before the single winner is announced.

The panel, which is composed of 59 judges from 23 different countries across Europe (including six representatives each from France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain), will announce the winner in Paris on November 17. Previous winners include the Fiat 500, Ford S-Max, Renault Clio and Toyota Prius. The organization has now releaved their list of 38 contenders; among those nominated are the Alfa MiTo, Audi Q5, Ford Fiesta, Honda Accord, Jaguar XF and Volkswagen Scirocco. Follow the jump for the full roster.

[Source: CarOfTheYear.org]

The 2008 Chevy Malibu has snatched up awards and media accolades, and JD Power data shows that customers are paying Chevy dealers handsomely to own one. The average transaction price of a Chevy Malibu is $22,358 -- $5,000 higher than the inherently uncool last-gen 'Bu. Twenty-one percent of buyers are also opting for the top-of-the-line LTZ vs. only 5% for the outgoing model.

The news isn't all rosy, however, as most of these customers are trading in other GM products to get themselves into the North American Car of the Year. Only 1.4% of buyers traded in a Toyota Camry, 1.3% swapped a Nissan Altima, and less than 1% turned in a Honda Accord. Those aren't exactly the kind of numbers GM will want to brag about, but at least the General is pulling in the equivalent of two Tata Nanos more per car than the last generation model did.

[Source: Detroit News]

Has Ernie Boch Jr. let the cat out of the bag? Autoblog reader Jason tipped us that he heard a fleeting mention of the 2008 Honda Accord being Motor Trend's Car Of The Year during a commercial for a seasonal promotion at the national sales champ dealership. Could it be that Jason's sharp ear has uncovered Motor Trend's announcement traditionally made in November? Boch Honda's website mirrors the statement that Jason heard, as well, offering a "newly redesigned 2008 Honda Accord LX, Motor Trend's Car Of The Year" for a $198/month lease. Motor Trend, on the other hand, remains mum so far on its pick. The press always blows the automaker's embargoes, how meta is it that a dealer appears to have deflated the COTY balloon? We'll be giving Ernie a ring on Monday, stay tuned.

Thanks for the tip, Jason!

click above to see more high-res pics of the new Ford Mondeo

We believe it's that time of year again when every automotive media outlet and its sister (publication) begin giving out its Car of the Year (COTY) award. Auto Express in the U.K. is kicking things off by awards its respective COTY statue to the new Ford Mondeo, as well as the honor for best family car and estate car. The editor's don't mince words when they say the Mondeo is "Ford's finest ever car". We'd like to agree, except we probably won't ever get a chance to drive the new Mondeo, at least not this generation of the car. Hopefully, Ford CEO Alan Mulally will have his way and the next-gen Mondeo will merge with our Fusion sold in the U.S. Perhaps then we can corroborate the opinion of Auto Express that the Mondeo is a COTY caliber sedan. Until then, however, we'll just congratulate the car from afar.

[Source: Newspress]

I know when people ask me to what car to buy, I always tell them to grab a copy of PC Magazine. After all, given all the electronics it takes to make a new car even start, who would know more about them more than a computer magazine? And if you're a PC mag writing about cars, then clearly you must give out some kind of award, too.

Actually PC Mag's Digital Drive Awards are focused on all sorts of technology in new vehicles. They first established a list of new technologies that are becoming mainstream and then sought out those vehicles with equipment that is currently bleeding edge. iPod connections are so 2006, but built-in hard-drives and lane departure warning systems are the new black. In spite of iDrive, PC Mag gave its overall Car of the Year award to the new second generation BMW X5. You can check out the rest of the Digital Drive Awards, which include Best Nav, Best Parking and Best Audio, by clicking the Read link.

Thanks for the tip, Corinne!

[Source: PC Magazine]

UPDATE: Added mega-gallery of 131 high-res Holden Commodore images since we in the U.S. don't often get to gaze at these vehicles.

click above image to view 131 high-res images of every kind of Commodore

For those of you eagerly anticipating the U.S. arrival of Holden's rear-wheel drive Zeta platform in the form of Chevy's revived Camaro and the Pontiac G8, take heart that it's officially proven itself in the land down under. Word has come from the other side the world that the Holden VE Commodore has won Wheels magazine's 2006 Car of the Year award. Wheels magazine is a big deal in Oz, and the VE Commodore, which is based on the Zeta platform, battled fiercely with the Toyota Aurion (Australia's better-looking version of the Camry) and BMW 3-Series Coupe to win this year's honor. A field of 34 new cars were eligible for the award and were judged based on their function, value, safety and technology. The VE Commodore wasn't a slam dunk, however, because of its merely average fuel economy, a fault that has been called out enough already that Holden has promised to put the car on a diet as soon as possible. Hopefully in Chicago we'll get a peek at a Pontiac-badged version of the Commodore destined to become the next Grand Prix.

[Source: Wheels]

In a field populated with such cars as the Porsche 911 Turbo, Maybach 57S and even the Bugatti Veyron, the Bentley Continental GTC handily walked away with the honor of being named the Robb Report 2007 Car of the Year. Apparently it wasn't even a contest, as nearly half of the luxury lifestyle magazine's editors and the 41-person panel of car experts tasked with judging the contest picked the GTC as their favorite. The spec sheet of Bentley's newest drop top shows that very few compromises are built into its $190,000 price tag: a twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12, 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, top speed just shy of 200 mph, four seats, and traditional open air-motoring. We're pretty confident the magazine made the right choice, at least for its fllthy rich readers.

[Source: The Mercury News]

As is the custom, Automobile Magazine is the last of the big four, which also includes Motor Trend, Car and Driver and Road & Track, to drop its February issue on the public. On account of this, the smallest paperback of the four hasn't drawn the ire of the internet for breaking any embargoes yet. Thus, we're happy to pass news along to you of Automobile's Car of the Year, which for 2007 is the Volkswagen GTI. Automobile calls the GTI "the right car for our times" based on the fact that it's fun to drive, has lots of utility and can still return 30 mpg on the highway. The magazine's editorial staff was so convinced of the GTI's "Of The Year" status that the voting was unanimous in its favor.

Automobile also crowned a few more "Of The Year" winners, including the Aston Martin V8 Vantage for Design of the Year, Roger Penske for Man of the Year and Electronic Stability Control for Technology of the Year.

Follow the Read link to view Automobile's press release that provides deeper insight into the editors' choices.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

Striking us as perhaps something out of Shaun of the Dead, where bizarre news reports keep filtering in through a world-wide crises, we have a somewhat garbled missive from abroad that seems to indicate that the British TV program, Fifth Gear, has awarded the Chevrolet Corvette its Fast Car of the Year award for 2006. A British TV show naming an American car as the best in its class? Must be something amiss. Perhaps the satellite feed is a bit wonky. The show's website doesn't have a confirmation of this award yet, so we can only wonder.

Actually, Fifth Gear handed out a few awards on Monday night, with the Audi TT taking home the slab of Portland Stone for Car of the Year. In the Small Car category, the award went to the new Mini Cooper. Best Family Car was the Ford S-Max. And the previously mentioned Corvette beat out the new 997 Turbo Porsche and Ferrari's latest GTB, the 599 Fiorano in the Fast Car segment.

By the way, the photo shows the actual award, which British sculptor Rob Bowers creates out of Portland Stone for the show. The annual award goes to the car the staff picks out of every vehicle they tested over the previous twelve months.

Thanks for the tip, James!

[Source: Fifth Gear]

Any time there's any mention of how or what a car show on TV should be, we find ourselves invariably praising Top Gear. Cutting insight mixed with hilarious wit, drop-dead gorgeous imagery and a whole lot of fun and passion make it the perfect car show. When Top Gear does a Car Of The Year, we sit up and pay attention. They have yet to name the overall winner, but the category champions are in. While the only surprise we found was the Ford S-Max making the list as Best Big Car, the choices have a bunch of desirable iron not found on this side of the Atlantic. A couple of Citroens made it, as did the Land Rover LR2 - any of which we'd love to have over here, especially the Citroen C6. We're not sure we agree with every choice though - the Gallardo is the obvious choice as dream car, but we're pretty sure that means nightmares. Of course, the driving is grand, and they have Ferrari represented as well, so there's no shortage of Italian engine music, always a good thing.