Finalists for 2011 Car of the Year announced; there’s a Dacia but no BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Volkswagen

Finalists for 2011 Car of the Year announced; there’s a Dacia but no BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Volkswagen

I just saw a blue Volkswagen Polo in the car park with the “2010 Car of the Year” sticker sitting proudly on its rear glass. It’s rare for us in Malaysia to be able to buy a reigning European COTY, a sign that things are changing and we’re now getting a better variety of cars at a faster speed. Some of the seven finalists of the 2011 edition could be here very soon too; in fact we’ve driven one of them already although we aren’t allowed to share the good news yet!

Heading the list (alphabetically) is the sexy Alfa Romeo Giulietta. This 147 replacement enters the sober Golf class as the prom queen – the car you’d want to be seen in, the car that your mates steal glances at, the car that makes you feel good about yourself. Looks and famous name aside, the Giulietta comes with the best Euro NCAP score for a compact car and efficient MultiAir engines. The 1750 TBi model with 235 bhp sounds yummy. Will Giulietta follow the 147’s (2001 champ) footsteps in winning eCOTY?

See the full list after the jump.

Finalists for 2011 Car of the Year announced; there’s a Dacia but no BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Volkswagen
The second-gen Citroen C3 retains the round shape of its predecessor but boasts better quality, a new platform and more space, plus that huge panoramic Zenith windscreen. Its premium DS3 sister is a cool alternative to the MINI, which is everywhere you look at these days. The DS3 is customisable in and out and proudly “anti-retro”.

Finalists for 2011 Car of the Year announced; there’s a Dacia but no BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Volkswagen

There’s no BMW, Audi or Mercedes in the list, but there’s a Dacia. For those who have no clue, Dacia is a Romanian brand owned by Renault and is the maker of the low cost cars like the Logan. The Duster is an old name from way back and like that small 4X4 from the 80s, today’s Duster can be had with a 4WD system (by Nissan). Drivetrains are proven, it’s rugged, looks decently macho with a high ground clearance and is the cheapest SUV in Europe.

Finalists for 2011 Car of the Year announced; there’s a Dacia but no BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Volkswagen

The Ford C-Max sits on the platform of the soon to be launched next-gen Focus and boasts typical mini-MPV practicality plus seven seats for the Grand C-Max, which has its wheelbase stretched by 140 mm. They’re bound to be great to drive (Ford always gets ride and handling right) and the Ecoboost engine puts Ford back on par in the petrol engine stakes.

There’s another small MPV in the running too – the Opel Meriva’s rear hinged “suicide doors” are its unique selling point, alongside regular Opel features like the FlexFix bike carrier. Opel last won eCOTY in 2009 with the D-segment Insignia.

Finalists for 2011 Car of the Year announced; there’s a Dacia but no BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Volkswagen

The Nissan Leaf is the sole Japanese badged car and electric vehicle in the reckoning, chosen for obvious reasons. The Renault-Nissan Alliance is really banking on an electric future and the 160 km range Leaf is the start of the Alliance’s onslaught of EVs that will include Renault’s Z.E. range.

Finalists for 2011 Car of the Year announced; there’s a Dacia but no BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Volkswagen

Last but not least is the Volvo S60 and its V60 wagon variant. Billed as the sportiest Volvo ever made, there’s much emphasis here on dynamics and design besides traditional values like safety, although Volvo is mighty proud of Pedestrian Detection, which auto brakes the car when a human gets in the way. This “four-door coupe” also gets Volvo’s latest downsized turbocharged direct injection GTDi engines.

These nominees have done very well to be where they are, considering that there were 41 candidates eligible for this year’s contest. The list includes the likes of Audi’s A1/A7/A8, the F10 5-Series and X3 from BMW, Jaguar’s XJ, Mercedes CLS and the new Cayenne. The Car of the Year jury consists of 58 members representing 23 European countries.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • spiller on Nov 09, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    Just wondering, do we have Asian COTY? Who won the 2009 & 2010 Asian COTY awards?

    Thanks.

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  • Yes its has all the equipment needed there in EU Cheap(in EU), High Euro NCAP score etc2. But when it landed in our soil land. Bang!!

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  • ko malu saje... on Nov 09, 2010 at 6:56 pm

    soon there will be a proton, trust me.

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  • Alpha on Nov 09, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    Danny,I bet the car you’ve tested is either the S60 or Giuletta.

    Giulietta is so hot!!!It’s better looking than most real girls!!Hahahaha!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • goproton on Nov 09, 2010 at 7:30 pm

    don’t have korean car….thought many here in Malaysia been praising Korean car like no tmr…..

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    • New Korean cars look promising but I yet to trust their reliability.

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      • ramun on Nov 09, 2010 at 11:26 pm

        long way to go for Korean, indeed they made a decent breakthrough. Toyota was a joke back in the 70’s at US

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  • Theophilus Chin on Nov 09, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    I think the Guilietta or Leaf will win. Though I wish Duster would.

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  • dickybird on Nov 09, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    Dacia? James May must be over the moon! LOL

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  • Heritage Hotel Jaipur on Nov 09, 2010 at 9:16 pm

    In my opinion Nissan Leaf will be the car of year 2011.

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  • busan on Nov 09, 2010 at 9:39 pm

    if Dacia lose, James May would not be happy…….

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  • Jimmy on Nov 09, 2010 at 9:50 pm

    Will this make the dealers so proud/arrogant that they forget their aftersales service? I mean in Malaysia.

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  • localcar on Nov 09, 2010 at 10:17 pm

    i like ford made nowaday….

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  • elite on Nov 10, 2010 at 7:09 am

    is there a category for rebadged models? proton can send in the Inspira disguised as a Lotus

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    • autojohndoe on Nov 10, 2010 at 2:05 pm

      sure win by perodua… they got a lot in their rebadge stable for the competition…

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  • Mancini on Nov 10, 2010 at 11:00 am

    DACIA is nice dude. come to bolehland plez

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  • will-kill-for-exclusivity on Nov 10, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    the dacia duster should win

    after such a long time a no nonsense product

    its uniqueness lies in its simplicity

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