Wheels Car of the Year is Australia’s most prized automotive award for excellence. This year’s 50th anniversary field is one of the toughest ever. First job for the class of 2012 is to impress the judges on paper, a process which whittled 35 eligible new models launched in 2012 to 10 worthy contenders. It’s an eclectic mix of sports cars and SUVs, hatchbacks and hybrids.
It hasn’t even hit Aussie roads yet, but the seventh generation Volkswagen Golf has been named the 2013 World Car of the Year.
It marks the second consecutive time VW has won the prestigious award, after claiming the title in 2012 with the Up!
Voted the best new vehicle out of an initial entry list of 42 cars, the 2013 Golf edged out rival finalists the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Porsche Boxster/Cayman and the combined entry of the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ.
A renowned judging panel of 66 journalists from 23 countries bestowed the honour on the Mk V11 Golf, claiming the new model is as close to the ‘perfect hatchback’ as any company has come yet.
“Right sized, but spacious, practical and comfortable inside, the latest Golf has been brought up to date with a fresh if evolutionary design, a range of new engines, plus an impressive list of equipment and safety features. What’s more, it’s fun to drive. If ever there was a car for everyman, the Golf is it.”
But while the Golf took overall honours, it wasn’t the only winner.
The Porsche Boxster/Cayman was voted the best car for enthusiasts, taking out the World Performance Car category.
The Jaguar F-Type took top honours in the World Car Design of the Year segment, edging out the Mazda 6 and Aston Martin Vanquish.
The countdown to the 2013 Wheels Car of the Year starts now! Thirty-five new models launched in 2013 are eligible; from Holden’s brilliant VF Commodore to the enthralling Porsche Cayman, the sexy Jaguar F-Type to the cutesy Fiat Panda. Which car will win Australia’s most coveted automotive award?
Its design might be more evolutionary than radical, but Porsche’s ability to continually provide superbly balanced drivers cars is unrivalled – just like the new Porsche Cayman.
Dubbed a ‘world class car’ by Holden, the new VF is an impressive step forward for Commodore, boasting remarkable levels of refinement, comfort and performance plus bundles of new, cutting-edge technology.
Regarded by many as the benchmark hatch, VW hasn’t changed the Golf’s basic recipe with this new seventh generation variant, instead refining what is already a world-class best seller. A COTY favourite, for sure.
Charming new Clio blends dynamic excellence and terrific new turbocharged engines with a typical French flair.
Following in the tyre tracks of Aston Martin’s motor sport-mad chief executive Ulrich Bez, another car company trump is set to embark on a drive on the wild side – in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.
Toyota’s incoming President Akio Toyoda, the 52-year-old grandson of the company’s founder, has been named as one of the four factory drivers of a Lexus LF-A in the legendary German endurance classic on May 23-24.Like many car makers, Toyota has been using the Nurburgring race – one of the maddest and toughest anywhere – as an active test bed for its products.With the new boss in the thick of things, the engineers will be hoping the LF-A doesn’t encounter the embarrassing issues it had in last year’s ‘Ring classic.Nearly 200 cars have been entered in the 2009 marathon.
The A1 GP series cancelled its final race of the 2008-09 season scheduled for Mexico on May 23-24, blaming the serious concentration of swine flu in that country and highlighting the advisory from the UK Foreign Office to cancel non-essential travel to the country.
The tough decision came as the World Health Organisation raised its swine flu alert to a worrying phase five, with the WHO chief Margaret Chan foreshadowing an imminent pandemic following the outbreak.One step short of a full pandemic, phase five is a strong indicator that the time frame to put into place all the necessary mitigation measures is very short, according to the WHO.“To say we are disappointed to have to make this call is an understatement,” said A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira. “When the news of the health problems broke last week we made sure we kept ourselves up to date with the latest information. It soon became obvious this was not an isolated health risk, and when the UK Foreign Office put out its advisory and the World Health Organization raised the level of influenza pandemic alert, that was when we had to make our decision.“We must have the safety of all members of the A1GP community as well as the thousands of loyal fans in Mexico City as our prime concern,” he added.The A1GP cargo was due to be flown out to Mexico directly after the Brands Hatch race and so this was another factor in the decision. “If we had flown our cars out and not been able to send the teams to run them it would have been a waste of time and money.“This cancellation does not impact on the future of the series and once Brands Hatch is over we shall be concentrating on Season Five, for which plans are already well advanced,” said Teixeira.The cancellation of the Mexican round means that this weekend’s A1GP meeting at Brands Hatch becomes the final round of the championship. And the decider.Three teams – Switzerland, Ireland and Portugal – can take the crown.A1GP is the first major motor sporting fixture to be affected by the swine flu outbreak, but it may not be the last.It has been suggested that attendances at this weekend’s Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix at Jerez, which may normally attract a three-day total of 240,000, could be significantly reduced due to spectators’ health fears.Formula One may also fall victim. Catalunya is the most infected swine flu region in Europe, and some are predicting that the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on May 10 could be F1’s first-ever spectator-free event. That possibility will sorely test Bernie Ecclestone’s resolve. He’s already concerned about the global economic situation.The circuit’s website suggests that 60,000 tickets have been pre-sold.Gee, perhaps the health of the planet’s inhabitants may even come before the health of Ecclestone’s wallet.
Formula One seems determined to bite the bullet on costs while increasing its grid numbers from a sparse 20 to a maximum of 26 cars.
The bold measures were taken this week by the FIA’s World Motor Sports Council in Paris. The council agreed in March to an optional £30million cap, but has now increased that ceiling by a further £10million, also announcing a new costs commission to monitor the spending.But some teams, among them McLaren and Williams, are unhappy with the prospect of a two-tier series with some teams operating under the cap and others perhaps prepared to spend the money while taking technical penalties. Frank Williams supports the idea of a budget cap but not having the choice of one of two sets of regulations.The introduction of the optional budget cap is intended to encourage new entrants. It’s been 15 years – back when the sport was at its healthiest – since 26 cars have been on an F1 starting grid. The FIA is also concerned it may lose more manufacturer backed teams in this threatening economic climate.The FIA believes that at £40million that 70 per cent of the grid can generate a profit. This transforms the business case for owning a Formula One team, for both manufacturers and private investors. The desired net result is to have a very healthy commercial environment for present and new owners.“We also had a good look at costs, and believe that £40million in combination with greater technical freedom will allow engineers to create F1 cars even more interesting and exciting than today’s cars,” an FIA spokesman said.Any team agreeing to operate within the budget cap will be able to use movable front and rear wings and, most crucially, an engine not subject to a rev limit. Unlimited off-season testing will also be allowed, along with unlimited wind-tunnel testing.The additional £10 million gives current teams some latitude though it falls way short of the budget levels they’re accustomed to – around half a billion dollars in the case of Toyota, Ferrari, BMW and McLaren-Mercedes.These teams have to decide whether to operate under the budget cap – and get the engineering freedoms – or ignore the ceiling and wear technical restrictions.Commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone is prepared to offer generous incentives to the new teams.These include an annual payment of US$10million to each team, plus free transportation of two chassis, freight up to 10,000kg in weight, and 20 economy-class tickets for each race outside Europe.The WMSC has also confirmed a ban on refuelling during races, to save on costs of transporting refuelling rigs, as well as giving engine builders a greater incentive to improve fuel economy. Tyre warmers have also been banned.Several organisations have shown early interest in entering (or returning to) F1 next season. These include Aston Martin, USGP, Lola and GP2 squad iSport.
