BBC TopGear Magazine have named the new Range Rover Evoque as their 2011 Car of the Year and the Fisker Karma has been crowned ‘Luxury Car of the Year’.
The Evoque came top in the SUV category of the annual awards and was also picked by TopGear TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson as his favourite new car this year.
The Evoque beat stiff competition from the BMW 1 Series M, Mclaren MP4 12c, Ferrari FF, VW Up! and Kia Picanto to scoop the coveted Car of the Year title. The awards are officially announced in the December issue of BBC TopGear Magazine, which is on sale in the UK now. With 29 international editions, BBC TopGear is read by an estimated 12 million people worldwide.
To celebrate the award, TopGear took a Range Rover Evoque on an African adventure through the souks, deserts and mountain passes of Morocco to fully experience the superb all-round capability and outstanding performance offered by this year’s winning car. The full story is featured alongside the Car of the Year Awards in all 29 international editions of the magazine.
The judging panel, headed up by BBC TopGear Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Charlie Turner, comprised members of the magazine’s editorial and road testing team, together with the three TopGear TV presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
Commenting on the awards, Turner said: “Judging the TopGear Magazine cars of the year takes a lot of time, coffee and shouting. But, strangely, when it came to the choosing the overall winner, the yelling softened to agreement. Universal approval from the most opinionated minds in the industry is almost unheard of. Which gives you some idea of just how good the Range Rover Evoque, TopGear’s 2011 Car of the Year, really is.”
As well as triumphing in the SUV and overall Car of the Year categories, the Evoque was also chosen by presenter Jeremy Clarkson as his personal choice for Car of the Year.
Summing up his decision, he says:”There have been many great cars launched over the last 12 months….But these are just one-trick ponies. The Evoque is more than that. Its a pony that is also a racehorse, a shire horse, a dray horse, a show jumper and an easy rosette-winner in the dressage competition. Its brilliant. And its the Top Gear Car of the Year.”
The Top Gear Award represents the 34th international award for the Range Rover Evoque since its launch earlier this year. Land Rover Global Brand Director, John Edwards, welcomed the news saying:
“The Range Rover Evoque has generated an unprecedented response in all of our global markets and has been particularly successful in attracting new customers to the Land Rover brand. The TopGear Car of the Year award is further recognition that the Evoque offers a unique combination of distinctive premium design and outstanding performance underpinned by Land Rover’s legendary all terrain capability. The car’s success is testament to the skill and commitment of the design and engineering teams in delivering a vehicle that meets the original product vision.”
The Range Rover Evoque has been on sale in the UK since September and is available in two body styles (five door or coupé), with a number of engine and transmission combinations. The Evoque also offers the opportunity for a high level of personalisation with three distinct design themes and a wide range of options, accessories and colour choice.
The Evoque has this month also been recognised by a number of external industry bodies in the UK including Euro NCAP, who awarded a 5* safety rating and Glass’s and CAP Monitor who have predicted outstanding residual values. The Vehicle Certification Agency has also awarded the Evoque LCA certification for the comprehensive lifecycle analysis study carried out by Land Rover’s environment and sustainability team.
The Fisker Karma has been crowned ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ by BBC Top Gear magazine and ‘Car of the Year’ by Top Gear TV presenter, James May.
The Karma – Fisker’s first production car – is a 403 hp luxury sedan and the world’s first true electric vehicle with extended range (EVer™). Despite its size, performance and visual appeal, the Karma is one of the most efficient, low-emission vehicles available today. It combines the zero-emissions and efficiency of electric drive with the range and freedom of petrol-powered cars, due to its cutting-edge EVer™ powertrain technology.
Top Gear is one of the biggest circulation automotive and men’s lifestyle magazines in the world. Now in their 12th year, the Top Gear awards results are published across 26 international editions and set out to recognize the most exciting and innovative cars launched in the preceding year.
Charlie Turner, BBC Top Gear magazine editor, explained why the Karma was a worthy winner: “Cleverness abounds in the Fisker and adds to the air of intelligent luxury. It works well, it looks good and it must be a genuinely exciting thing to own.”
“It’s the top-of-the-line spec that features no leather, just textiles and reclaimed wood. And it’s more convincing than it sounds, managing to look, feel and smell premium without any cow peel in it at all,” Turner concluded.
Henrik Fisker, co-founder, CEO and executive design director of Fisker Automotive, commented: “It is fantastic news that the Karma has won two awards from Top Gear. We realize that we are at the beginning of our journey and awards like this remind us we are on the right road – building enticing green cars that people actually want to own. It’s particularly pleasing that this award recognizes the Karma’s luxuriousness.”
“We’re big fans of both the Top Gear show and magazine – it’s great to see motoring entertainment consumed by millions. The fact that Fisker cars appeal to the Top Gear audience inspires us to continue producing cutting-edge luxury vehicles with extended range, including our new mid-sized sedan that will be built in Delaware, USA.”
It’s the latest in a run of high-profile awards for the Karma that Fisker Automotive has been very proud to win, including Automobile’s Design of the Year and a Global Green Design Award. In winning the ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ award, the Karma joins an exclusive group of prestigious previous winners, such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS Coupe, Jaguar XJ and Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.
In recent independent testing conducted by the Technischer Üeberwachungs Verein (TÜV), the Karma achieved 135 mpg combined fuel economy, CO2 emissions of just 51 g/km and an all-electric range of 51.6 miles.
