Fiat’s Panda has been named the European Car of the Year 2004 by 58 trade journalists representing 22 European countries. With 281 votes the Fiat came in first, ahead of the Mazda3 (241), the Volkswagen Golf (241), the Toyota Avensis (219), the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva (213), the BMW 5 series (144) and the Nissan Micra (111). The ultra-compact Fiat – the first real budget car to ever win the award – also gathered votes from the most members of the jury: Of 58 jurors, 55 included the Panda in their nominations, while 16 rated it top.
The ‘Car of the Year’ award was launched in 1964. In order to be admitted to
the competition the new cars must have been marketed on at least five
different European countries in the course of the year. The award ceremony will take place in Paris on 19 January 2004.
The Fiat Panda is still being assessed by Fiat South Africa and no decision has yet been made as to whether it will be brought into this country. We loved the discontinued Seicento, and think the Panda would fill its shoes very well here.