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BMW 3 SERIES DECLARED 2006 "WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR"
04/13/2006
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - April 13, 2006... The BMW 3 Series was voted the 2006 "World Car of the Year." The multiple-award winning 2006 BMW 3 Series received its latest kudos in an awards ceremony held in conjunction with the New York International Automobile Show.
“World Car of the Year” awards are voted on by an independent panel of automotive journalists from all around the globe. From an initial field of 27 contenders the 2006 3 Series was selected as one of three finalists before being declared this year’s winner. “World Car of the Year” contenders must be available in most markets of the world and are judged on style, performance, handling, comfort and utility. Entrants were also judged for value, safety, environmental responsibility and significance.
Driving enthusiasts around the world have considered the BMW 3 Series to be an icon for its unique combination of these attributes. It is the quintessential luxury sports sedan. It is now available with xDrive all-wheel drive in two Sedans and one Sports Wagon model in the US. The aluminum/magnesium inline six-cylinder engine with Valvetronic technology reduces weight while at the same time improving both performance and fuel efficiency. The advanced Dynamic Stability Control system includes features such as Brake Drying, Brake Standby Brake Fade Compensation, Start-off Assistant, and Comfort Stop. The outstanding value of the BMW Series is enhanced by outstanding residual values and free scheduled maintenance for four years or 50,000 miles.
“We are delighted to receive this recognition for the 3 Series,” said Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO of BMW of North America. “The BMW 3 Series is the true embodiment of a world car. Designed and engineered in Germany, it is built on two continents and sold in approximately 140 markets worldwide. It is available in four different body styles, everything from a Sedan and Sports Wagon to a Coupe and Convertible. It is available with a wide variety of engines ranging from four-cylinder diesels to high performance six-cylinders.”
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April 13, 2006 - For Immediate Release
At a press conference presented by the Midway Group and hosted by the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javitz Centre in Manhattan, New York, the BMW 3-Series was declared the 2006 World Car of the Year.
The BMW 3-Series was chosen from an initial entry list of twenty-seven (27) candidates nominated by the World Car jurors.
In selecting the winner a jury of 46 international automotive journalists considered a variety of parameters; then individually reviewed, evaluated, and voted on the World Car of the Year entrants by secret ballot. The international accounting firm KPMG tabulated the ballots to first determine the finalists, and finally the winner.
Jurors observed that there has been considerable proliferation of models from BMW, from entry-level 1-Series hatchbacks to 500 hp M-Series supercars, but the heart of the BMW mystique lies, as it has for decades, with the 3-Series: sound, sensible and sporty sedans, coupes, convertibles and wagons.
Jurors felt that tradeoffs between performance and practicality; between style and seriousness are more perfectly balanced with the 3-Series than is the case with any other make. Variants include all-wheel drive models for difficult winters, ultra-high performance M models, and highly efficient four- and six-cylinder diesels.
Without changes from their basic specifications, the BMW 3 Series does the job as though specifically designed for local conditions.
The top three contenders for the second annual World Car of the Year in addition to the BMW 3-Series were the Mazda MX-5 and the Porsche Cayman S.
“We are delighted to receive this recognition of the 3 Series,” said Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO of BMW of North America. “It is often more difficult to replace an acknowledged segment leader than to introduce a new car. Based on awards like this and the reaction by customers, the fifth generation 3 Series is a worthy successor”.
Today’s world is truly a global village – especially within the automotive industry. National borders are effectively non-existent in terms of where vehicles and their components are designed, engineered, developed, built, and sold. The World Car of the Year Awards, of which the Audi A6 was the inaugural winner in 2005, reflect the truly global nature of the 21st-century automotive business and, at the same time, recognizes and rewards automotive excellence on a global scale.
Announcing the annual World Car of the Year awards at the New York show is a fitting finale to the auto show season that begins each fall with either the Paris or Frankfurt motor shows. Next, it’s on to Tokyo in alternating years. The Detroit show takes centre stage in January while Geneva claims the spotlight in March. Finally, in April, the season reaches its exciting climax at the New York International Auto Show.
Three additional specialty awards were handed out during the same press conference. The Porsche Cayman S was declared World Performance Car; the Honda Civic Hybrid won the honours for World Green Car; while the Citroen C4 earned the World Car Design of the Year award for 2006.
Graham Johnson, co-chair of the World Car of the Year steering committee, announced the addition of the new specialty awards last October. “Performance, design, and environmental responsibility are all key elements in the success of a vehicle on a global scale,” he said, “so we believe it is appropriate that we recognize exceptional achievement in those specific areas with their own awards.”
A panel of international experts in each of the environmental and design fields was chosen to assist the jurors by developing the short lists of finalists from the array of eligible candidates in each of those categories. However, the 46 member jury themselves determined the top three finalists in the World Performance Car category.
The World Car of the Year Awards program is initiated by, organized by, and conducted by, automotive journalists from around the globe. A non-profit association guided by a steering committee of journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America administers the awards program. WCOTY is intended to complement, not compete with, existing COTY awards by raising consumer awareness of regional Car of the Year award programs as well as the World Car of the Year.
Photos of all winners, as well as the press conference, are available for downloading by visiting the World Car web site at
www.wcoty.com. Questions? E-mail or call Beth Xenarios, Executive Manager, at
beth@wcoty.com, 1-905-342-2220.
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About The Midway Group
MIDWAY-GROUP is a member of the Hankey Group of Companies, a global automotive solutions firm specializing in vehicle acquisition and supply, comprehensive transportation, insurance underwriting and market data services utilized by automobile manufacturers, marketing, training, advertising, engineering, media services and certified testing agencies.
www.midway-group.com
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About the New York International Auto Show
"Proudly serving the needs of our clients since 1953". Kicking off the springtime selling season, the 2006 New York International Auto Show will feature an impressive collection of cutting-edge design and remarkable innovation. More than four floors of displays from the world’s automakers will feature the newest vehicles and futuristic concept cars. More than 1,000 cars and trucks will be on display at the Javits Center, filling 846,000 square feet of exhibit space. In addition, dozens of World and North American vehicle debuts are expected at the Show. NYIAS is owned and produced by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.
