58 experienced journalists from 22 European countries will decide which vehicle is named “Car of the Year 2016”. The list of candidates originally contained 35 new models released during the course of this year with both the Opel KARL and the Opel Astra also being named. Both cars faced the critical journalists and the 33 rivals at the merciless Tannistest in Denmark. There are no segments in the “Car of the Year” award – the jury will pick a single car that is worthy of the award.
Now the jury has cut the list of contender to seven and these cars have qualified for the final of the “Car of the Year 2016”. One of the cars in the top seven: The new Opel Astra which has already won international awards such as SAFETYBEST 2015 and the 2015 Golden Steering Wheel in less than two months. Opel’s compact class bestseller is now hoping to get as many votes as possible from the 58 journalists representing prestigious publications such as Le Figaro, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Stern, La Stampa, El Mundo or The Daily Telegraph.
The European Car of the Year award was founded in 1964. In recent years, Opel has come out on top twice – with the Insignia in 2009 and the Ampera in 2012. The 2016 winner will be announced on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show on February 29, 2016.