By GM Canada - At a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and BASF SE at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan, New York, the Chevrolet Camaro was declared the 2010 World Car Design of the Year.The 2010 World Car Design of the Year award is presented by BASF SE who announced their exclusive title sponsorship earlier this year.
"BASF is extremely honored to present the World Car Design of the Year award to General Motors for its magnificent Chevrolet Camaro design," said Robin Rotenberg, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Chief Communications Officer, BASF Corporation. "Presenting this award to General Motors is extra special for us because the Camaro gets its color and shine from BASF."
The World Car Design of the Year category, and the corresponding award, is meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries. Cars eligible for this award are taken from the list of thirty (30) World Car candidates nominated by fifty-nine (59) World Car jurors from twenty-five (25) countries across the globe.
A design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts were:
Masatsugu Arimoto: chairman of the Japan Auto Colour Award program, juror on Japan's governmental "Good Desigtn Award" committee, and Car Styling's "Car Design Awards"; Silvia Baruffaldi: Managing Editor of Auto & Design magazine; Gernot Bracht: former designer at Renault, now teaches at Pforzheim design school in Germany; Sam Livingstone: an Associate Editor of Car Design News and since 2001 has lectured at the Royal College of Art where he is now Senior Tutor in Vehicle Design; and Tom Matano: currently the Executive Director, School of Industrial Design, at Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Previously, Matano managed the Mazda Chief Designers group that created the entire Mazda car line designs.
The experts observed that, "The new Camaro leans on its heritage but does so in an artful, modern fashion, argue our design experts. "Although it borrows some of its styling cues from the first generation Camar, they all contribute to a simple, pure and modern appearance. It is the most dynamic Camaro ever," says Masatugu Arimoto. Sam Livingstone appreciates the "innately seductive exterior and interior. It's well resolved and I'd argue evidence that General Motors strikes a better balance than Ford and Chrysler do in their pony cars."
The fifty-nine (59) World Car Awards jurors then voted on the expert's recommendations in February 2010 and their ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.
"In recreating this modern sports car, we have proven that people are just as passionate about Chevy as ever," said Michael Simcoe, Chevrolet Design Director. "We have been delighted about the strong reaction to the Camaro -- even in markets that are new to Chevy, it has been creating an emotional appeal for the brand."
The top three contenders for 2010 World Car Design of the Year were, in alphabetical order, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Citroen C3 Picasso, and the Kia Soul.
Previous winners of the World Car Design of the Year award were the Fiat 500 in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi TT in 2007 and the Citroen C4 in 2006.
Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to form a unique research partnership that will provide strategic reports in 2010, analyzing global automotive media coverage.
Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world's most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.
The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.
The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy / USA) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.
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