BMW 335d Sedan WINS AJAC'S 2010 Best New Design Award

TORONTO , Feb. 11 /CNW/ - The BMW 335d Sedan won the "Best New Design" award for 2010 as presented by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The award was handed out as part of the 2010 Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) awards that opened the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto .

"We are delighted that the members of AJAC have bestowed the 2010 Best New Design award on the BMW 335d Sedan" stated Franz Jung, President and CEO of BMW Group Canada . Mr. Jung continued: "The fifth generation 3 Series Sedan has been recognized for its groundbraking design language in both exterior and interior execution. The most current version only reinforces the perfect balance of dynamism and elegance in this design and we are proud to receive this recognition in the face of such worthy competition."

Canadian independent designer Paul Deutschman , Humber College automotive design professors Ken Cummings , and Bruce Thomson , as well as Automobile magazine's design critic Robert Cumberford were appointed by AJAC as a panel of design experts. Their task was a difficult one: create a short-list of "Best New Design" finalists from the full-slate of fifty-three entries in the Canadian Car of the Year awards program.

The top three finalists for the 2010 Best New Design award were the Audi A5 ("Audi is a perennial top contender for any design comparison. The A5 Cabrio makes this list because it fairly oozes with design competence from every pore. Style, proportion, execution- it's all there." - Paul Deutschman , the BMW 335d Sedan ("The BMW 335d sedan is an excellent follow through design. It is updated so well there's not a line out of place. A beautifully appointed interior with outstanding ergonomics makes a winner in this category.- Ken Cummings ), and the Ford Taurus & Ford Taurus SHO ("Ford's appealing Kinetic Design theme is being successfully applied throughout their global product range, including their full size American sedan, the Taurus. It is handsome, bold yet unpretentious. Finally Ford is on a design surge, right when it is needed most." - Paul Deutschman ).

AJAC journalists then selected the winner from the design expert's short-list based on a combination of aesthetics, function, and brand essence. Each parameter was rated separately for each of the design finalists. The aesthetics score reflects the sheer beauty of the design. The function score assesses the manner and degree to which it accommodates the practical requirements of the vehicle type. And brand essence considers its success in conveying the image, heritage, and values of the specific brand.

"The intent of the AJAC Best New Design award is to identify and reward the vehicle that exhibits the best balance of form and function", said Richard Russell , chair of AJAC's 2010 Canadian Car of the Year awards.

AJAC's annual Canadian Car of the Year awards program was created in 1985 with the purpose of providing consumers with sound, comparative information on vehicles that are new to the market.

For that reason, the vote results that determined today's winners are available to consumers as a resource buying guide on the AJAC web site. Also available are the comparative test data derived from the journalists' extensive four day evaluation of over 150 new vehicles in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario in October. This annual event is known in the industry as "TestFest". Shell Canada is the official fuel supplier of the event and in the last year celebrated another milestone in fuels leadership and technology with the launch of Shell Nitrogen Enriched gasolines across North America .

The rigorous TestFest evaluation program includes real world driving on public roads - exactly where consumers drive so that the test and vote results posted to the AJAC web site are directly relevant to potential car and truck buyers.

Still looking to buy a 2009, 2008, or even a 2007 vehicle? AJAC archives the comparative test data from previous years on its web site.

Photos from today's award announcements, the October 24th category winners, and the TestFest evaluation event, are available for print and broadcast media under (less than)Canadian Car of the Year(less than) Photo Gallery(less than) on the AJAC web site. In addition, our AJAC journalists who evaluated the brand new models at TestFest are available across Canada for interviews to talk about the vote results and comparative data. Media are invited to visit the AJAC web site and log-in under "Ask An Expert", then choose the "Media" link to access interview information once validation has occurred.

    
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For further information: on the 2010 Canadian Car of the Year Awards, either visit our AJAC web site at www.ajac.ca, call the AJAC office at 1-800-361-1516, or send us an email: [email protected]