Two Australian made cars are amongst the major winners in this year’s Best Cars Awards announced today.
The first four cylinder Ford Falcon and Toyota’s hybrid-powered Camry are amongst the winners of the annual awards given by the motoring clubs of each state.
Not only did Ford’s new Falcon win the overall ‘Judges Choice’ award but it has also been called the best Falcon ever. For Falcon lovers, that’s some accolade. It has a turbocharged two litre engine and won the Best Large Car under $60,000 category.
Judges said the four cylinder Falcon matched its bigger six cylinder version in delivering better fuel economy and a smoother ride. It delivers 8.1 litres/100km travelled.
The Camry Hybrid (or Camry H) was judged the Best Medium Car under $50,000 and its win is also considered a breakthrough for hybrid cards using both a petrol engine and an electric motor.
Judges said the Camry H is “the most rounded, best value vehicle” of its kind in the Australian market returning 5.2 litres/100km travelled.
Importantly, for both Ford and Toyota and the thousands employed by them, both wins are a great boost to local car manufacturers.
Amongst the winners in the other 13 categories, from 300 entrants, are:
- BMW M135i – Best Sports Car under $80,000
- Hyundai i30 Active – Best Small Car under $30,000
- Hyundai iMax – Best People Mover (for the 5th consecutive year)
- Kia Rio Si – Best Light Car under $20,000
- Land Rover Discovery – All Terrain 4WD (this doesn’t mean suburban streets)
- Volkswagen Polo 66TDI – Best Light Car over $20,000 (for the 3rd consecutive year)
The chief judge of the Awards, Martin Borlace, said the 2012 winners were characterised by improved operating efficiency and economy with fuel economy improving by 4% on last year and carbon emissions down 2.2%.
"There is a definite trend towards meeting customer requirements for value, quality, reduced fuel consumption, and in important areas of social responsibility," Mr Borlace said.
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