A Near-Victory for VW's New Passat On Monday, November 14th, 2005, the European Car of the Year for 2006 models was announced. Normally, our focus wouldn't be on such
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| Renault's Clio III, which will enter the North American market in revised form as the Nissan Versa, just won the European Car of the Year for 2006 models. (Photo: Renault) |
an event being that North America has its own various car and truck of the year awards. Countless other magazines also choose their picks, while Canada's journalists award COTYs and TOTYs annually at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. But there are no less than six reasons why Europe's winner and runners up might be of interest to you. The winner, crowned by a panel of 58 journalists from 22 different countries, was the Renault Clio III. This is Renault's subcompact car, recently redesigned for 2006.
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| Nissan will bring a version of Renault's Clio III to the U.S. and Canada, dubbed Versa. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
It's a city car designed for the masses: plenty of space, refined interior, decent drivetrain and a list of safety accolades and features for occupants and pedestrians that is about as long as the European Union itself. But if you're expecting this to be an article of hopefuls and crossed-fingers about how automobile manufacturers should export small, intelligently-designed diesel-powered superminis, think again. The reality of this year's competitions is that we North Americans will be sure to feel the effect. Four of the seven vehicles that made the top cut are currently on sale here, while two more are on the way in one form or another.