Seven Finalists Announced For Europe's 2015 Car of the Year

by Cameron Aubernon

Published: December 17th, 2014

seven finalists announced for europe s 2015 car of the year

After months of deliberation, Europe’s Car of the Year panel has narrowed down the field of 31 to seven finalists.

Autoblog reports the panel has chosen the following nominees for the 2015 Car of the Year:

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
Citroën C4 Cactus
Ford Mondeo
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Nissan Qashqai
Renault Twingo
Volkswagen Passat

The winner will be announced during the 2015 Geneva Auto Show this coming March. Previous winners include the Peugeot 308, Volkswagen Golf and Opel Ampera, with the first title awarded 50 years ago to the 1964 Rover 2000.

#2015 #CarOfTheYear #Finalists #Geneva2015 #IndustryAwards #Nominees

Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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17 of 30 comments

Sector 5 on Dec 17, 2014

Rover P6 had a huge transmission hump and tiny trunk with jack & spare buried beneath. Collapsable steering column, all-wheel discs and passenger safety cage earned the title. Leyland quality ruined it. Best iteration was with small Buick V8. My monies on Cactus.

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- Corey Lewis on Dec 17, 2014
  
  Is this relevant?
  
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- Vulpine on Dec 17, 2014
  
  Strange. That Cactus has an oddly Fiat 500X look to it.
  
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- Sector 5 on Dec 17, 2014
  
  @Corey Lewis You just don't get it.
  
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Hummer on Dec 17, 2014

Looks like a list of the most boring cars of Europe. Why exactly is it "Europe's" car of the year? How does what's popular in the north most stretches of Norway, translate to the popularity of the cars in Southern Spain, Germany, or especially those in Eastern Europe?

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- Cameron Aubernon on Dec 17, 2014
  
  It's Europe's COTY because of the handful of publications -- represented in the award's branding -- that come together to decide who wins among the nominees.
  
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- Lorenzo on Dec 18, 2014
  
  @Cameron Aubernon Yup. Seven judges from seven publications printed in seven countries in seven languages, make the choice. If nothing else, that makes it harder to bribe the judges, and/or costs more. It doesn't mean their choices are any better - in 2012 the E-COTY was the Chevy Volt.
  
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- Banger on Dec 18, 2014
  
  @Lorenzo "It doesn’t mean their choices are any better – in 2012 the E-COTY was the Chevy Volt." It beat the BMW i3 to the useful PHEV race by a handful of years and is probably has the highest owner satisfaction of any car GM has ever built. Granted, its mileage isn't spectacular once the pure EV range runs out, but the total picture is still pretty positive for the Volt, IMO. I don't see what would disqualify it from ECOTY status.
  
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Bfisch81 on Dec 17, 2014

Is Smart still going to try and bring the TwinGo to the US?

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- Corey Lewis on Dec 17, 2014
  
  The Twingo is a Renault. Renault owns Nissan. If anything, it would be here under Nissan. But it won't be.
  
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- Bball40dtw on Dec 17, 2014
  
  @Corey Lewis The Forfour will be sharing a platform with the Twingo.
  
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- Corey Lewis on Dec 17, 2014
  
  @bball40dtw Ahh, I understand now. Looks ghastly. http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2015-smart-forfour-official-photos-and-info-news
  
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- Banger on Dec 17, 2014
  
  "Is Smart still going to try and bring the TwinGo to the US?" I wish they would. That might actually get me to check out a smart dealership. As it is, the fortwo is totally unrealistic for my needs. The forfour would be just practical enough to make me give it consideration. This is coming from a guy with one Nissan cube in the driveway who is thinking about adding a second cube to the family fleet, so we're totally cool with small cars. We just have to be able to haul four people on a regular basis.
  
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Ceeceeurti on Dec 17, 2014

So a Volkswagen in Los Angeles would be different than that of a european model?

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- Vulpine on Dec 17, 2014
  
  I hate to say this, ceeceeurti but in a word, Yes. It has to meet US safety specs which are significantly different from European. While the differences appear to be minimal, under the skin there are quite a few changes--especially under the hood.
  
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- Whynot on Dec 17, 2014
  
  @Vulpine It depends on the model. Most are similar except engine choices and minor differences to meet safety specs. The Passat is the most different, however. The US has had a larger Passat built on a completely different platform since 2011. The Euro Passat was just an updated B6 Passat and now is a new one based on their MQB modular platform. IIRC the Golf is the only VW in the US on that platform right now. VW still made the styling between them look close though.
  
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- Mason on Dec 18, 2014
  
  @Vulpine But they are still engineered by VAG with VAG components. I see more odds and end parts (switches, engine/trans parts, brake components, steering/suspension components) with the VAG emblem stamped than either of my F*RDS or Dodge,or any other "American" vehicle I've ever owned. Your guys argument is irrelevant. Of course they are built to different specs. That's no different than any vehicle that has the same model available in different countries.
  
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