Contenders for Irish Car award revealed
The list of candidates for the 2009 Semperit Irish Car of the Year awards has been announced by the Irish Motoring Writers" Association (IMWA). The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, Dublin, on Friday 21st November next. For this year, the Irish Car of the Year awards are to undergo the biggest shake up in the award"s 30-year history. The awards, adjudicated by the IMWA, the body that represents the majority of motoring journalists in Ireland, will now feature five category winners and one overall title winner.The new category awards are as follows: • Small Car of the Year • Family Car of the Year • MPV of the Year • Luxury/Sport Car of the Year • SUV/Crossover of the Year The overall Semperit Irish Car of the Year winner will be selected from the winners of the five category awards. Tony Toner, chairman of the IMWA, said: 'In comparison to 30 years ago, today"s car market has a much wider array of cars that appeal to the vast range of today"s motorists" needs. It was clear that, in this fragmented market, there are several niche categories that would be very unlikely to provide a vehicle to claim the Semperit Irish Car of the Year title. For this reason, we have decided on this change to the awards in an effort to highlight the best vehicles in a number of categories that will best meet the widely varied needs of Irish motorists.' Semperit Ireland"s Paddy Murphy commented: 'The introduction of category awards is a great innovation and will widen the appeal of the Semperit Irish Car of the Year awards. The members of the IMWA provide a valuable service to Irish motorists trying to navigate the dizzying array of choices that confront them when they decide to change their cars. In today"s economic environment, any prospective car buyer would be well advised to take note of the verdict of the IMWA jurors.' The candidates in each category are as follows: Small Car of the Year - Chevrolet Aveo Hatch, Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i10, Mini Clubman, Opel Agila, Seat Ibiza. Family Car of the Year - Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Chrysler Sebring, Citroen C5, Mitsubishi Lancer, Skoda Superb, Suzuki Splash. MPV of the Year - Citroen Berlingo Multi, Hyundai Montana, Peugeot Expert Teepee, Renault Grand Modus, Fiat Firoino Qubo. SUV/Crossover of the Year - BMW X6, Ford Kuga, Jeep Patriot, Renault Koleos, SsangYong Kyron, Subaru Forester, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volvo XC60. Luxury/Sport Car of the Year - Audi A8, Audi A3 Cabrio, Audi A6 RS, Audi R8, BMW 1 Series Cabrio, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XF, Volkswagen Passat CC, Volkswagen Scirocco. A shortlist of two vehicles per category will be announced in the coming weeks. Last year, the Semperit Irish Car of the Year title went to the Ford Mondeo while the van accolade was won by the Fiat Scudo.