Lexus Gets 2007 World Car of the Year Award

Meanwhile, BMW and Volkswagen went off a with a bit of envy as Mercedes-Benz’s E320 BLUETEC took home the World Green Car of the Year from the Hydrogen 7 and VW’s Polo BlueMotion.

[URL=http://www.oneshift.com/articles/article.php?artid=97&pageid=1&view=1]Find out more on what we thought of the Lexus LS460 here![/URL]

[B]Press Release[/B]

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 Lexus LS 460 was declared the 2007 World Car of the Year.

The Lexus LS460 was chosen from an initial entry list of twenty-eight (28) contenders nominated by World Car jurors from 22 countries throughout the world.

Rather than being just a popularity contest, the objective was to ensure that the World Car of the Year would be the product of a fair and thorough assessment process that considered the needs and wants of consumers the world over. The process began with individual jurors evaluating and rating the candidates using a variety of standardized parameters – everything from styling and quality, to performance and safety. The jurors then voted in January 2007 in order to establish a top ten shortlist. The World Car of the Year was chosen from those finalists as tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

WCOTY jurors considered the prestigious LS 460 to be the embodiment of the Lexus brand's "pursuit of perfection." Still new in some markets, Lexus continues to build its resume with this luxury flagship boasting many firsts, including a novel automatic parking system and an 8-speed automatic transmission. Classically luxurious, with modern execution, unquestioned quality, and more than ample power it also offers a green alternative in the form of the LS 600h hybrid variant for those who seek guilt-free indulgence.

The top three contenders for the third annual World Car of the Year in addition to the Lexus LS460 were the Audi TT and the MINI.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award recognizing the LS 460 as the ‘2007 World Car of the Year,’” said Bob Carter, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “From the outset, it was our goal to develop a luxury flagship vehicle that would be recognized as one of the finest cars in the world. The response to the LS 460 by our customers and awards such as this go a long way towards realizing our goal.”

Background
The global marketplace is a reality. Nowhere is that global reality more apparent than in the automotive industry. European vehicles engineered in South Korea…North American vehicles developed in Australia…Japanese vehicles designed in Europe…American vehicles built in China. And that is just the beginning. Cars from everywhere are being sold everywhere else.

The World Car of the Year (WCOTY) awards were inaugurated to reflect that reality, to recognize and reward automotive excellence on a global scale, and to create consumer awareness of that recognition. This award is intended to complement, not compete with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The inaugural World Car of the Year in 2005 was the Audi A6. In 2006, the BMW 3 Series won the World Car of the Year title.

Announcing the annual World Car of the Year awards at the New York show is a fitting finish 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 international auto show season concludes with its grande finale at the New York International Auto Show.

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Credits: Kr0n