ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE DECLARED 2011 WORLD CAR DESIGN OF THE YEAR

21.04.2011 / New York - Dubai - Cairo

Although the future of Aston Martin is quite unclear these days, this did not affect the beauty and charm of the Aston Martin Rapide.

At a press conference hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and the New York International Auto Show, the Aston Martin Rapide was declared the 2011 World Car Design of the Year.

"Aston Martin’s Director of Design, Marek Reichman who led the in-house design team which penned the Rapide said: “Like a race horse standing still, you can see its power and elegance, the shape of Rapide’s rear haunches are muscular conveying the power that lies beneath while its low stance produces a powerful look.

“There is a real sense of proportion with this car, akin to a tailored suit; the new double grill gives more presence on the road while the iconic signature side strake has been lengthened through to the rear doors to enhance its lateral proportions in a subtle, yet elegant way. The car’s purity makes it look right from every angle.�

The World Car Design of the Year category, and the corresponding award, is meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries.

Fifty-one (51) candidates were eligible for the honour of being the 2011 World Car Design of the Year. Those candidates may be on the overall World Car of the Year list, or may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is introduced and available for sale in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending May 30th, 2011

A design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts were:

Masatsugu Arimoto: as Japan's foremost automotive design commentator, Arimoto is chairman of the Japan Auto Colour Award program, and a juror on Car Styling's "Car Design Awards" as well as judge on the Japan Car of the Year awards.

Silvia Baruffaldi: as Managing Editor of Auto & Design magazine, Silvia Baruffaldi has contacts with design centres of car makers and consultant studios the world over.

Gernot Bracht: former designer at Renault who now teaches at the Pforzheim design school in Germany.

Sam Livingstone: Director of the consultancy Car Design Research, Senior Tutor in Vehicle Design at the Royal College of Art and Associate Editor of Car Design News.

Tom Matano: currently the Executive Director, School of Industrial Design, at Academy of Art University, San Francisco. From 1983 to 2002, Matano worked at Mazda managing the Chief Designers group that created the entire Mazda car line designs. Judges on many Concours d’Elegances including Pebble Beach

The experts observed that the Aston Martin Rapide is, “Without a doubt, this is the most successful full four seater Grand Touring car to date�. (Tom Matano)

Masatsugu Arimoto added, “The Rapide Concept, first presented at the 2006 NAIAS, was a trendsetter for the 4-door sport coupe genre, and the production version successfully met the highest expectations of an anxious public. It not only looks very similar to the concept car but also exudes perfect beauty in terms of overall proportions, surfaces and detail treatments. Its longer wheelbase generates more elegance than the two-door sibling DB9 while retaining the Aston’s customary sportiness.�

The sixty-six (66) World Car Awards jurors, including Auto Arabia's editor Mohamed Sheta, then voted on the expert’s recommendations in February 2010 and their ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

Previous winners of the World Car Design of the Year award were the Chevrolet Camaro in 2010, the Fiat 500 in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi TT in 2007 and the Citroen C4 in 2006.

Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy is once again the World Car Awards’ research partner. The company will provide strategic reports in 2011 that analyze our awards global automotive media coverage.

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.

The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.

PRIME Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to provide strategic studies in the fields of automotive assessment criteria and automotive awards. PRIME Research is a well-trusted research partner for the automotive industry with a broad range of automotive clients. Its full picture approach, which provides strategic benchmark information and SWOT analyses on over 100 brands and over 10,000 different automobile models, sets the standard in automotive media research.

Showcasing the latest automotive trends, the 2011 New York International Auto Show will unveil an extensive collection of the most technologically advanced vehicles on display anywhere in the world. More than four floors of displays, including the new Javits Center North exhibition hall, will house nearly 1,000 stunning new 2011/2012 vehicles as well as sensational futuristic concept cars. NYIAS is owned and produced by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.

TS