A field of 31 candidates for the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2010 awards was announced by the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA) today. The Continental Irish Car of the Year and Continental Irish Van of the Year, in addition to five car and two van category awards, will be revealed at a gala event in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin, on Thursday 26th November.
Michael Moroney, Chairman of the IMWA, commented: “It has been a tough year for the motor industry and certainly the slowdown has impacted on the number of new models coming onto the market in comparison with previous years. However, I am pleased to say that one thing that has not suffered is the quality of the cars in the running for our awards – from really exciting superminis right up to luxury / sport models, they are all there in the 2010 field of runners.
The 27 voting members of the Irish Motoring Writers Association assess each vehicle, attributing points on the basis of criteria ranging from innovation and safety, to space, comfort, build quality, driving quality and value for money.
This year sees a change in sponsorship for the awards. Semperit Tyres who sponsored the awards for the last 20-years is passing the title to Continental Tyres.
“The new sponsorship reflects the growing importance of Continental within our brand portfolio in Ireland,” explained Paddy Murphy of Continental Tyres Ireland. “As one in three cars produced in Europe is now running on Continental tyres, the brand is becoming more and more familiar to Irish motorists. We felt that aligning the Continental name with the IMWA’s Irish Car of the Year award would be hugely beneficial for both our brand and for the awards themselves.
“We are sure that the Continental Irish Car of the Year title will become as useful an aid to Irish car-buyers as the Semperit title has been for the last 20 years”, concluded Murphy.
The full field of candidates for the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2010 are as follows:
1. Alfa Romeo MiTo
2. Audi A5 Sportback
3. Audi Q5
4. BMW X1
5. BMW Z4
6. BMW 5 Gran Turismo
7. Dodge Journey
8. Ford Ka
9. Honda Jazz
10. Honda Accord
11. Hyundai i20
12. Kia Soul
13. Lexus RX450h
14. Lotus Evora
15. Mazda3
16. Mazda MX5
17. Mercedes Benz E-Class
18. Mercedes CLC
19. Opel Insignia
20. Peugeot 3008
21. Peugeot Partner Tepee
22. Porsche Panamera GT
23. Renault Megane
24. Renault Scenic & Grand Scenic
25. Renault Kangoo Passenger
26. Suzuki Alto
27. Toyota Avensis
28. Toyota iQ
29. Toyota Urban Cruiser
30. VW Polo
31. VW Golf
In the coming weeks the full listing will be reduced to a short list of 10 cars – two in each of the following category awards:
Continental Irish Small Car of the Year
Continental Irish Family Car of the Year
Continental Irish MPV of the Year
Continental Irish Luxury / Sport Car of the Year
Continental Irish SUV / Crossover Car of the Year
Last year the Semperit Irish Car of the Year title went to the Citroen C5 while the van accolade was won by the Citroen Berlingo / Peugeot Partner.