The Mazda2, also known as the Mazda Demio, has been selected as 2008 World Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan, New York this past week.
The Mazda2 was selected from an initial entry list of thirty nine total entries nominated by forty seven World Car jurors from twenty four countries throughout the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work.
WCOTY jurors observed that, “This fresh Mazda compact makes the first-generation one-box-ish Mazda2/Demio fade into the mists of time even more so. The new version is exactly that — completely new; particularly on the outside. The two-door sportier look was recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show and reviews around the world have been primarily one big ‘thumbs up’. Consumers will be drawn to the new Mazda compact because of its very appealing looks and high levels of standard equipment for the price.”
Previous World Car of the Year winners were the Lexus LS460 in 2007, the BMW 3-Series in 2006 and the Audi A6 in 2005.
The 2008 World Performance Car award, presented by Mobil 1, went to the Audi R8. Candidates for the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt Sports/Performance orientation. They must also satisfy the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car award and may be chosen from that list of eligible vehicles.
Additional entrants may include newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of five-hundred (500) vehicles.
Mobil 1 announced its sponsorship of the World Performance Car award in November 2007. “Mobil 1 has long been recognized as the world’s leading fully synthetic motor oil by authorities, such as vehicle engineers, manufacturers and car enthusiasts. We understand the value and honor of being singled out and acknowledged as a global leader noted for outstanding and superior performance in lubrication,” said Nancy Carlson, strategic global alliances — sales director, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties. “The Mobil 1 team was pleased to sponsor the 2008 Performance Car of the Year award and congratulates the Audi R8 on the achievement of being named the 2008 world’s top performance car by the global panel of renowned automotive journalists serving on the Car of the Year jury.”
Previous World Performance Car winners were the Audi RS4 in 2007 and the Porsche Cayman S in 2006.
The BMW 118d with EfficientDynamics was declared the 2008 World Green Car.
“BMW is very excited that the BMW 118d with EfficientDynamics won the World Green Car title,” said Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO of BMW of North America. “The measures that we’ve implemented within our EfficientDynamics strategy into every BMW mean that we’re able to provide customers with the driving pleasure they expect from a BMW, while still meeting the stringent requirements for fuel-efficiency and low emissions.”
Jurors felt that BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology, as applied to the 118d, comprises a range of features and improvements with the specific purpose of reducing fuel consumption and lowering emissions. Its 143-hp, 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, with third-generation common-rail fuel injection, piezo-injectors, and up to 2,000 bar injection pressure is said to reduce fuel consumption by up to eight percent.
The top three contenders for the third annual World Green Car in addition to the BMW 118d with EfficientDynamics were the Mercedes-Benz Smart fortwo cdi and the Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI.
Previous World Car winners were the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec in 2007 and the Honda Civic Hybrid in 2006.
Now in their fifth year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the most prestigious and credible programs of their type in the world.
The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.
The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.