For the first time in it’s 47 year history, the European award for car of the year will be announced at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show.

Hakan Matson, automotive editor of Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri and President of the jury said, “We are very pleased to have won the Geneva Motor Show as our partner. From this year on, the Car of the Year announcement will mark the ceremonial kick-off for the most important event in the European automotive sector and provide journalists as well as manufacturers with a new platform for exchange.”

This competition is regarded as the most prestigious automobile award that a car can win. The jury is made up of 59 renowned auto journalists from 23 different European countries and was brought to life originally by seven different European car magazines.

The nominees for 2012 Car of the Year are: Citroën DS 5, Fiat Panda, Ford Focus, Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera/Chevrolet Volt, Range Rover Evoque, Toyota Yaris and the Volkswagen Up!. Electric motors, fuel efficiency and smaller bodies seem to be the theme for this years nominees.

For more info, visit http://www.caroftheyear.org/

The tiny island nation of Singapore is best known for its laws banning chewing gum and instituting corporal punishment against criminals, and apparently, a big lover of the Saab 9-5.

The obscure Swedish sedan was named “Car of the Year” by a local publication called “Consumer Guide”, according to Saab’s PR department.  Car taxes in Singapore are severe and import restrictions make it difficult for residents to actually buy a new car, so Saab may get bragging rights, but seeing any extra dollars from this is unlikely.

It’s that time of the year again as Car of the Year begins the laborious task of whittling down new Car of the Year contenders for 2012.

A total of 59 journalists, representing automotive authorities across 23 European countries, have been recruited for the task of choosing top car. The number of journalists to represent each country is based on the relative size of the said country’s car market. Countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain have a well established market, and each will be represented by six journalists.

As for cars, only completely redesigned new models that have launched within the twelve months before the contest are counted. Each car must be available in at least five European countries and must have an expected sales volume no less than 5,000.

Categories considered include design, safety, performance, and price. This year, says the judging committee, technical innovation and value will be especially influential. What also makes Car of the Year unique is the absence of separate genres for its candidates. Rather than selecting the best of the compacts or the best trucks, vehicles with all sorts of engine size and body types will be vying for the same allotment of points.

Comparison testing of the vehicles will be performed in Sweden.

The following 35 candidates selected for the 2012 Car of the Year award include:

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Drumroll, please…the three finalists for the overall 2011 World Car of the Year are the 2011 Audi A8, the BMW 5 Series and the Nissan Leaf.

The three performance car finalists chosen are the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Porsche 911 Turbo. Competing for the spot of Green Car of the Year are the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition, and competing in the category of design are the Aston Martin Rapide, Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Ferrari 458 Italia.

The three cars were whittled down from a list of 39, and announced at Geneva this week. The winners will be chosen on April 21st when the New York Auto Show rolls around. Stay tuned.

The 2011 Ford Explorer beat out the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee to win the North American Truck Of The Year award. The winner was announced at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, where the Chevrolet Volt was also announced as the Car of the Year.

Ford took the honors last year with their Transit Connection van in 2010 and the F-150 in 2009. The Explorer is all new for 2011, with a new car-based platform, rather than the truck chassis that underpinned the car throughout its life since its introduction in 1991. 49 journalists from the United States and Canada voted on the award.

Read Autoguide’s review of the 2011 Ford Explorer here

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While the Honda CR-Z has had only a tepid reception in North America, its home market of Japan seems to be taking well to the controversial hybrid sports car. Hybrids have always been a hit in Japan, and the nation’s automotive journalists recently awarded the CR-Z the title of “Car of the Year”.

To celebrate the victory, Honda is releasing the CR-Z in a special paint scheme, with the car finished in “Pearl Deep Sapphire Blue” with Dark Pewter Gray rims. A special sticker will also be placed on the window, and only 1,000 will be made. The special CR-Z will cost $34,200, and considering the Japanese market’s legendary love of novelty cars, we suspect that all1,000 units will disappear quickly.

[Source: Carscoop]

The Nissan Leaf has just received the Car of the Year award in Europe and is the first electric car to have ever been given the prestigious title. This award will certainly help build anticipation for the World Car of the Year awards, held each year at the New York Auto Show.

Up until now the car’s main rival, the Chevy Volt, has been cleaning up in the North American awards categories, recently taking Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine‘s Car of the Year title as well as the Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year award. The Volt is also in the running for the North American Car of the Year, which will be announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

The Leaf’s win was not without controversy, however, with several European journalists sitting on the jury placing the car last. The runner up for the European Car of the Year title was the Alfa Romeo Giulietta followed by the Vauxhall/Opel Meriva.

The European Car of the Year title is decided on by 59 jury members in 23 countries.

[Source: AutoCar]

The Ford Fusion Hybrid has been named North American Car of the Year, beating out the other two finalists, the Buick LaCrosse and the Volkswagen Golf.

The announcement kicked off the festivities at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Ford Fusion received the nod from a panel of 49 journalists from the United States and Canada.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid boasts an EPA-estimated 41 mpg in the city, 36 mpg on the highway, numbers which Ford says make it America’s most fuel efficient mid-sized sedan.

The victory marked just the second time Ford has won the North American Car of the Year Award. FoMoCo last won the award in 2000 with the Ford Focus.

Domestic automakers have now won North American Car of the Year nine times in 17 years. The Ford Fusion Hybrid is also the fourth hybrid to receive the award, and the second Ford hybrid, following the Ford Escape Hybrid in 2005.

The Ford Transit Connect also won North American Truck of the Year, marking the third time a manufacturer swept both awards in a single year.

“Winning both of these prestigious awards is confirmation that the ONE Ford plan is working, delivering industry-leading products for our customers,” said Mark Fields, president of The Americas.

The Hyundai Genesis Sedan received the honor at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Gallery: Ford Fusion Hybrid, North American Car of the Year

***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here***

The short list for North American Car & Truck of the Year just got a lot shorter and the list of finalists includes one GM product and one Ford product in each category. The three finalists for 2010 North American Car of the Year include the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen Golf. As for Truck of the Year, the three nods go to the Ford Transit Connect, the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback.

The winner will be announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 11th. The North American Car & Truck of the Year is decided by a panel of 49 journalists from both the U.S. and Canada.

Last year the winners included the Hyundai Genesis and Ford F-150, marking the first time a Korean automaker had won Car of the Year. Domestics have won Car of the Year eight times, with European countries taking the award four times and the Japanese three times. Truck of the year has long been dominated by domestic automakers, taking the award 10 times, compared to four for the Japanese and two for the Europeans.

AutoGuide will be covering the 2010 North American Car & Truck of the Year awards live at the Detroit Auto Show starting January 11th.

[Source: Automotive News]