Last year saw the all-electric Nissan Leaf take top honours from a field of 41 contenders, but this time around there are just 35 candidates eligible for the 2012 European Car Of The Year award.
All of the contenders are new vehicles available now or before year’s end in five or more European markets, and each has the prospect of at least 5000 yearly sales.
The voting process has two stages and will be presided over by 59 judges representing 23 European countries. The first one will produce a short list of seven nominees, which will be announced on 9 January, 2012. The second round will find the single winner, announced 5 March at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
In the meantime, check out the full list of 2012 European Car Of The Year contenders.
Audi A6
Audi Q3
BMW 1-Series
BMW 6-Series
Chevrolet Aveo
Chevrolet Orlando
Citroen DS4
Citroen DS5
Fiat Panda
Ford Focus
Honda Civic
Hyundai i40
Hyundai Veloster
Kia Picanto
Kia Rio
Lancia Ypsilon
Lexus GS
Mazda CX-5
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
Mercedes-Benz ML-Class
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Opel Ampera/Chevrolet Volt
Opel Zafira Tourer
Peugeot 508
Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4
Porsche 911
Ranger Rover Evoque
Renault Kangoo Z.E.
Renault Fluence Z.E.
Ssangyong Korando
Toyota Verso S/Subaru Trezia
Toyota Yaris
Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Up!
