09:22 18Nov2003 CNR -Fiat <FIA.MI> Panda is 'Car of the Year 2004'
FIAT, 17/11/2003
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THE FIAT PANDA IS 'CAR OF THE YEAR 2004'
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED BEFORE THE 18TH NOVEMBER 2003
The international jury of the 'Car of the Year' Award,
composed of 58 trade journalists, representing 22 European
countries, has elected the Fiat Panda 'Car of the Year 2004'.
With 281 votes the Fiat Panda came in first, ahead of the
Mazda3 (241), the Volkswagen Golf (241), the Toyota Avensis
(219), the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva (213), the BMW 5 series (144)
and the Nissan Micra (111).
As well as being the overall winner of 'Car of the Year
2004', the ultra-compact Fiat was also the car which got votes
from the most members of the jury: 55 out of 58 of them included
the Panda in their nominations, while 16 rated it top.
And there is more. This is the first time a segment A model
has won the most prestigious accolade in the car industry. An
extraordinary record, that takes Fiat Auto's victories to 5 in
the last ten editions: Fiat Punto in '95, Fiat Bravo/Brava in
'96, Alfa 156 in '98, Alfa 147 in 2001 and Fiat Panda in 2004.
The 'Car of the Year' award ceremony, this year organised by
the French magazine 'L'Automobile Magazine', will take place in
Paris on 19 January 2004.
The 'Car of the Year' award was launched in 1964. In order
to be admitted to the competition the new cars must have been
marketed on at least five different European countries in the
course of the year. Then the following parameters are assessed:
design, comfort, safety, fuel economy, driveability,
performance, practicality, respect for the environment and
lastly price and value for money.
A shortlist is made from all the new models launched during
the year, and seven finalists go forward to be judged. Each
member of the jury has 25 points to award among the 7 cars, with
a maximum of 10 points for the first choice.
A SUCCESSFUL DEBUT
Presented to the international press on 2 September, the
Fiat Panda immediately elicited great interest and highly
favourable comments from over 1,000 journalists from 21
countries who had come to Lisbon for the launch of the new
model.
This critical acclaim was immediately confirmed by the
appreciation of the clients: the first 'Open Day' event held in
Italy on 13 and 14 September attracted over 500,000 visitors to
700 Fiat outlets in Italy. This great reception was also borne
out by 95,000 orders in Europe in the first two months alone.
All of this is thanks to a car which is relatively small
from the outside, but with the levels of comfort you would
normally associate with a big car; designed to be low on
consumption yet not for this reason less sparkling on
performance; ideal in city traffic but at the same time perfect
for longer journeys, guaranteeing its passengers a relaxing
trip.
All these features make the Fiat Panda the definitive 'great
little car', which incidentally also has an extremely high value
for money thanks to its combination of great features, low
running costs and residual value.
Fiat thus confirms its key role in the evolution of this
sector, where it has been a leading player for so long, from the
first 600 to the 500, from the 126 to the first Panda, from the
Cinquecento to the Seicento. There has always been a Fiat
city-car for the people: back when the car first heralded
individual mobility, then when car owners learned to appreciate
cars that were aesthetically pleasing, reliable and a pleasure
to drive, even though lower in price and with reduced space,
weight and engine size.
Shots of the Fiat Panda with the 'Car of the Year 2004' logo
are available in the photo archive on the www.fiatautopress.com
website.
FIAT AUTO 'CARS OF THE YEAR'
FIAT 124 (1967) FIAT 128 (1970) FIAT 127 (1972) LANCIA DELTA
(1980) FIAT UNO (1984) FIAT TIPO (1989) FIAT PUNTO (1995) FIAT
BRAVO/BRAVA (1996) ALFA 156 (1998) ALFA 147 (2001) PANDA (2004)
LEAGUE TABLE OF BRANDS SINCE 1964
FIAT 8 wins RENAULT 5 wins FORD 4 wins CITROEN 3 wins
PEUGEOT 3 wins ALFA ROMEO 2 wins AUDI 2 wins OPEL 2 wins
ROVER 2 wins SIMCA 2 wins LANCIA 1 win AUSTIN 1 win NISSAN
1 win NSU 1 win MERCEDES 1 win PORSCHE 1 win VOLKSWAGEN 1
win TOYOTA 1 win
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<FIA.MI>
Tuesday, 18 November 2003 09:22:51
CNR [nL18356180] {EN}
ENDS