Volkswagen Up! wins World Car of the Year Award

Tweet The results are in and the Volkswagen Up!, that small, classy city car, has won the World Car of the Year Award announced at the New York International Auto Show yesterday.  The VW Up! came up against the BMW 3-Series and the Porsche 911 and the win marks the third time that Volkswagen has won the World Car of the Year Award.

"This award shows once again that in the Up! our designers and engineers have created a vehicle that has been thought through in minute detail. A vehicle that sets standards in its class for efficient use of space, safety, motoring fun and environmental compatibility," said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG.

The World Car of the Year Award is judged by 64 of the world’s top car journalists with a total of 34 entries in this year’s competition. There are four categories for the World Car of the Year Award and they include World Car of the Year, World Performance Car of the Year, World Green Car of the Year and World Design Car of the Year. 

The winner of the World Performance Car of the Year went to the all time classic, the Porsche 911 that trumped the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 and the McLaren MP4-12C.

In the category World Green Car of the Year Award, the Mercedes-Benz 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY came out on top with the Ford Focus Electric and Peugeot 3008 Hybrid driving away empty handed.

The World Design Car of the Year Award was awarded to none other than the world’s favourite Range Rover, the Evoque, that has received much praise over the last year. Similarly, the Citroen DS5 and Volkswagen Up! had to bow before the Evoque in defeat.

Are you happy with the results?

Video: McLaren MP4-12C

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Check out this video of the McLaren MP4-12C. The McLaren MP4-12C is in the running for the World Performance Car of the Year to be announced at the New York International Auto Show this week, coming up against the Porsche 911 and the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4.

Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 for World Performance Car of the Year

Tweet With little more than a week to go before the New York International Motor Show kicks off on the 5 April, anticipation is rising as to who will drive away with the coveted World Car of the Year Award.

In the category, World Performance Car of the Year, one stone remains unturned with the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 gearing up to battle it out against the McLaren MP4-12C and the Porsche 911. Let’s not lie to ourselves, all these cars are incredible in their own right and they are on the podium for a reason, but it’s still difficult to imagine which one of these lovely machines will steal the show.

In Lamborghini’s defence, the Aventador LP 700-4 is a phenomenal piece of machinery. Its 6.5 litre V12 engine kicks out 700 hp and flies to 100 km/h in a mere 2.9 seconds before maxing out at a whopping 350 km/h. Now this is a supercar.

Only weighing 1575 kg and measuring 4.78 meters long with a width 2.26 meters and standing 1.136 meters high, the Aventador LP700-4 borrows its super looks from modern aeronautics and some of the worlds fastest and most agile aircraft.

The Aventador LP 700-4 made its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and stock has since been sold out. With a price tag of R5.7 million the Aventador LP 700-4 doesn’t come cheap.

In my opinion, I think the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 has got what it takes to be the World’s Performance Car of the Year. What do you think?

The all new, classic Porsche 911

Tweet There is something about the new Porsche 911 that tickles my fancy. It must be the fact that Porsche somehow manage to embrace that old, classic look and feel in its styling, yet also manage to produce a car that is modern and classy, all wrapped into a neat little present called the Porsche 911, also known as the 991.
 

Over recent years Porsche has ventured into the seemingly unknown SUV and sedan markets with some success, but the Porsche 911 will always represent Porsche’s past and it seems the 911 will forever stand the test of time.

The new Porsche 911 comes in two models, the Carrera and Carrera S, both with an extended wheelbase, adding to road grip as the Carrera’s flat six 3.4 litre direct injected engine tears up the tar, producing a hefty 350 HP. The Carrera S comes with a 3.8 litre direct injected engine, producing an impressive 400 HP.  The aluminium steel body has resulted in a 45kg weight loss helping the 911 perform at its best, sprinting from 0-100km in 4.3 seconds and reaching a top speed of 300 km/h.

Both models come standard with the world’s first seven-speed gearbox, combining the driving comfort of a converter automatic transmission with the dynamic gearshift of a sequential racing gearbox. The interior has also been drastically refined making the Porsche 911 more luxurious and comfortable while tending to the drivers needs.

The new Porsche 911 has also been nominated for the World Car of the Year Award to be announced on 5 April 2012. Keep your eyes peeled, the Porsche 911 is lurking…

What do you think of the Porsche 911? I think it’s amazing…

      

And in this corner, the McLaren MP4-12C

Tweet Over the next few weeks, Gero Car News will shed some light on the contestants for the World Car of the Year Award and a good place to start is with the McLaren MP4-12C . It seems McLaren is bringing the fight to Ferrari and Lamborghini in the form of the McLaren MP4-12C, a supercar that has the ability to deliver some serious punch in the supercar ring. The McLaren is also in a good position to win the World Performance Car of the Year Award at the World Car of the Year Award to be announced in April 2012, coming up against the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 and the Porsche 911.
  

Weighing in at an impressive 1300kg, the McLaren MP4-12C is a serious supercar. Powered by a potent 3.8l V8 twin turbo engine and kicking out a formidable 441 kW at 7000 rpm, there’s no denying that Porsche and Lamborghini are in for a battle. The McLaren MP4-12C is not slow either, reaching 100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds and maxing out at a top speed of 330 km/h, impressive.

Not surprisingly though, the McLaren MP4-12C, like many supercars, doesn’t do too well in terms of efficiency, guzzling 11.7l/100 km and spewing out 279g of CO2 for every km driven. Nonetheless, the McLaren MP4-12C is a nice car to look at and reviews indicate that’s it’s a great car to drive.

The MP4 has been available in South Africa for a few months now, making its first appearance at the Johannesburg International Motor Show in 2011. Most South Africans can only dream of driving the McLaren MP4-12C as only 20 are available in 2012. We can, however, drool at the price to drive this specimen, a whopping R3.3 million. That should make a big enough dent in the wallet.

Do you like the McLaren MP4-12C?