13-APR-2006: CITROEN C4 DECLARED WORLD CAR DESIGN OF THE YEAR

CITROEN C4 DECLARED
2006 WORLD CAR DESIGN OF THE YEAR

April 13, 2006 - For Immediate Release

At a press conference presented by the Midway Group and hosted by the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javitz Centre in Manhattan, New York, the Citroen C4 was declared the World Car Design of the Year for 2006.

The World Car of the Year Awards are intended to reflect today’s auto industry and market trends, and one of the major factors in a purchaser’s decision is the appearance of a vehicle.  The World Car Design of the Year category, and award, is meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries.

The top three contenders for World Car Design of the Year were the Citroen C4 as well as the BMW 3-Series and the European version of the Honda Civic / Civic Hybrid.

The Citroën C4, which won the top design honours, incorporates the same stylistic originality that defined the brand's reputation in the past, without reverting to a retro look. It is a modern, cost-effective design that allows two different body styles for the five- and three-door versions, creating two distinctly different looks from a common base.  

Aerodynamics, a traditional cornerstone of the Citroën character, also play a key role. Other references to tradition, evolved in contemporary form, include Citroën's historical one-spoke steering wheel, manifested here as a tight two-spoke design in which the rim rotates while the hub housing all the controls remains fixed. True to its heritage, the car marches to the beat of its own drummer.

Claude Satinet, general managing director of Automobiles Citroën, made the following comments once the winner was known : “The C4 reflects Citroën commitment to bringing customers innovative and appealing cars. The C4 design is an excellent demonstration of Citroën’s knowledge, to create a design presenting three completely different cars, C4 coupé, C4 Berline and C-Triomphe on the same platform, with the same technology and safety level, and in this way obtaining 5 stars  in the EuroNcap crash tests. The World Car Design award proves our capacity to innovate in modern car design and this new award for the C4 adds to the long list of prizes won in many countries around the world in 2005.”

The Citroen C4 was chosen from an initial entry list of twenty-seven (27) candidates nominated by the World Car of the Year jurors.   All candidates for the overall World Car of the Year award, and only those vehicles, were eligible for the World Car Design of the Year Award.

A panel of four design experts was chosen by the World Car of the Year Steering Committee to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of six recommendations for the jury.   Jurors then voted on those recommendations. . The international accounting firm KPMG tabulated all ballots to first determine the finalists, and finally the winner.

The four design experts were in alphabetical order:

Silvia Baruffaldi, Managing Editor, Auto & Design magazine:  based in Turin, Italy, Ms. Baruffaldi has worked for the bi-monthly magazine since 1988.   Thanks to Auto & Design, she has contacts with design centres of car makers and consultant studios from all over the world.  Ms. Baruffaldi also contributes design articles to Il Sole 24 Ore, an Italian financial daily newspaper, and to Autokampioen in The Netherlands. 

Peter Brock: best known as the designer of the classically beautiful, World Championship-winning Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, Brock also penned the sketches that ultimately turned into the Corvette Stingray.  He taught auto design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and today remains involved with design on such cars as the South African-built Superformance Brock Coupe.

Robert Cumberford, Automobile and Auto & Design magazines.  Both a car designer and a writer specializing in design for over 20 years, the first car made to Cumberford’s sketches -  a one-off special body for a Jaguar chassis — was built when he was 15 years old.  At 19 he was a designer for General Motors (Chevrolet Corvettes).  He taught transportation design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

Akira Fujimoto, Editor-in-Chief, Car Styling magazine: based in Tokyo, Japan, Mr. Fujimoto has worked for the bi-monthly magazine, published in Japanese and English, since 1979.  Mr. Fujimoto has a long and distinguished career as a judge:  Japan’s Car Design Award; International Car Design Competition; Car of the Century; Concept Car of the Year by Automotive News International; and the World Automotive Design Competition sponsored by Alias (now Autodesk). 

The 2006 World Green Car, World Performance Car, and the overall 2006 World Car of the Year were also declared during the same press conference at the New York International Auto Show.  The show is a fitting finale to the auto show season that begins each fall with either the Paris or Frankfurt motor shows.   Next, it’s on to Tokyo in alternating years.  The Detroit show takes centre stage in January while Geneva claims the spotlight in March.  Finally, in April, the season reaches its exciting climax at the New York International Auto Show.

The World Car of the Year Awards program is initiated by, organized by, and conducted by, automotive journalists from around the globe.  A non-profit association guided by a steering committee of journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America administers the awards program. 

Photos of all winners, as well as the press conference, are available for downloading by visiting the World Car web site at www.wcoty.com.  Questions? E-mail or call Beth Xenarios, Executive Manager, at beth@wcoty.com, 1-905-342-2220.

***

About The Midway Group

MIDWAY-GROUP is a member of the Hankey Group of Companies, a global automotive solutions firm specializing in vehicle acquisition and supply, comprehensive transportation, insurance underwriting and market data services utilized by automobile manufacturers, marketing, training, advertising, engineering, media services and certified testing agencies.  www.midway-group.com 

***

About the New York International Auto Show

 "Proudly serving the needs of our clients since 1953".   Kicking off the springtime selling season, the 2006 New York International Auto Show will feature an impressive collection of cutting-edge design and remarkable innovation.  More than four floors of displays from the world’s automakers will feature the newest vehicles and futuristic concept cars.  More than 1,000 cars and trucks will be on display at the Javits Center, filling 846,000 square feet of exhibit space.  In addition, dozens of World and North American vehicle debuts are expected at the Show.  NYIAS is owned and produced by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.