The Car of the Year prizes have been dominated by the Germans with many being awarded one of Autobild’s “Golden Steering Wheel” awards. The Porsche Panamera won the luxury car category, beating the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S Class, while the medium to large sedan category was won by the Audi A5 Sportback, followed by the BMW 5-Series GT and the Mercedes E Class.

Among the compact class, a nice win for the new Opel Astra, beating the Skoda Yeti, which came in second ahead of the Renault Megane. In its sector, the Renault Scenic emerged ahead of the Toyota Verso and Peugeot 5008, and among the small cars the Volkswagen Polo won over the Citroen C3 and Hyundai i20. The Toyota Prius took out the ecological prize, followed by the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion and the Mercedes S400 Hybrid.

The supercar category was dominated by the new Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing, followed by the Audi R8 Spider and the Aston Martin One-77. The finalists for overall COTY are the Citroën C3 Picasso, Mercedes-Benz E-class, Opel Astra, Peugeot 3008, Skoda Yeti, Toyota iQ and Volkswagen Polo. Take your bets now…

Continue reading: Golden Steering wheel car of the year prizes: SLS AMG supercar of the year

At the 2009 Geneva show Skoda has officially presented the Yeti, defined as a compact SUV. It’s 4.2 metres long, and is designed for maximum versatility and functionality. The engine range has been confirmed as: the new 1.2L TSI at 105hp with front wheel drive, the 1.8 litre TSI at 160hp with all-wheel drive (for the petrol version), and the 2 litre TDI at 110, 140 and 170hp with DPF filter. The 110hp version is also available on order with front rear wheel drive only.

Continue reading: Skoda Yeti presented at the Geneva show