Car Design of the Year Award
Car Design News, the largest media in car design, is pleased to announce:Saab Aero X Concept wins Car Design of the Year 2006 – Concept
Alfa 8C Competizione wins Car Design of the Year 2006 – Production
With over a thousand responses from readers voting on the best car designs to have debuted in 2006, and an international readership that includes more car designers than any other media, this is the most qualified award within the car design world.
Car Design of the Year 2006 – Concept
The award for the best concept show car announced in 2006 went to the Saab Aero X, with 82% of voters awarding it a top three place, and it receiving over 50% of all votes for first place!
Conceived to be “The ultimate vision for the brand”, the Aero X was designed in Sweden by British designer Alex Daniels under the direction of Anthony Lo, head of Advanced Design at Saab, and Bryan Nesbitt, executive director GM Europe Design.
“With its classic sports car proportions, innovative detailing, and dramatic single piece canopy that seduced so many at its Geneva debut last March, the Aero X is the ultimate concept car of 2006.” says Brett Patterson, Editorial Director, Car Design News.
The Citroen C-Metisse from Paris, and the Mazda Nagare from Los Angeles were voted second and third respectively. Interestingly the stand-off between the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger concepts shown at Detroit last year was settled in favour of the Camaro, with 43% of voters awarding it a top 3 place – more than twice the Challenger’s 21%!
Car Design of the Year 2006 – Production
The award for the best series production car announced in 2006 went to the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, with 73% of voters awarding it a place in the top three.
The 8C debuted at the Paris Motor Show as the first high performance Alfa Romeo sports car for several decades. Designed under Wolfgang Egger, head of Alfa Romeo Design, the 8C Competizione’s takes inspiration from several classic Alfa sports racing cars.
The Alfa Romeo’s elegance and front-engined proportions combine to make a design that just eclipses the second place mid-engined Audi R8 that had 71% of voters awarding it a top three place ahead of the Ferrari 599GTB with only 47%!