Nissan GT-R MSN’s Car of the Year 2009

British motoring enthusiasts have voted Japanese car maker Nissan’s brutally powerful GT-R as winner of MSN Cars ‘Car of the Year 2009’, with the four-wheel drive sportscar capturing almost a third (29%) of the record 80,000 votes cast on a poll on MSN Cars.

The critically-acclaimed Nissan GT-R cruised ahead of its challengers as it almost trebled the number of votes of its nearest competitor, the British-built Jaguar XF (12%). Other familiar entries in the MSN Car of the Year poll include the ever popular - but new generation - Ford Fiesta (6%) in 8th place.

Tom Evans, Content Manager of MSN Cars, commented: “Congratulations to Nissan and its revolutionary GT-R for capturing the imagination of the British motoring public. Not only does the GT-R boast impressive specs and enough sheer motoring muscle to outrun its rivals, but the GT-R also boasts one of the most eye-catching, contemporary designs in the supercar fraternity – and all at a bargain price that is entirely in keeping with these straightened times.”

He added: “Britain’s passion and drive for the world’s most well-crafted supercars continues, even during times of economic hardship. This is clearly demonstrated as over 80,000 people voted for their top motors, more than doubling the number of votes of last year’s poll.”

John Parslow, Sports Car Marketing Manager at Nissan GB commented: “We are thrilled to get such a strong public endorsement as being given the MSN Cars ‘Car of the Year 2009’, it really is a testament to Nissan’s vision that we created the Nissan GT-R as a high performance car that responds faithfully to the driver’s wishes, whether on the road or on the racetrack. The design, ultimate performance and handling qualities of the Nissan GT-R mean it has a reputation that extends far beyond its loyal owners.”

He added: “To receive votes directly from the British public in the scale that we did and beating such a strong list of pretenders to this crown acknowledges the concept behind the Nissan GT-R for being the ultimate supercar for anyone, anywhere, at any time. We are delighted that the MSN audience clearly recognises this and we thank them for the tribute.”

Legendary Italian car-maker Ferrari has featured in MSN’s Car of the Year’s top three since 2005 and doesn’t disappoint this year. This year sees its new Ferrari California take 3rd place with 11% of the votes. Previous entries from Ferrari include 430 Scuderia (2008), Ferrari 599 GTB (2007), Ferrari F430 Spider (2006) and the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (2005).

MSN Cars Car of the Year 2009: top ten results:

Car - % of vote
1. Nissan GT-R 29%
2. Jaguar XF 12%
3. Ferrari California 11%
4. Volkswagen Scirocco 11%
5. BMW X6 9%
6. Audi Q5 8%
7. Mitsubishi Evo X 8%
8. Ford Fiesta 6%
9. Vauxhall Insignia 3%
10. Tesla Roadster 2%

80,298 votes were received in total.

The annual MSN Cars ‘Car of the Year’ award was launched in 2005, and previous winners were the Audi R8 (2008), BMW 3-Series Coupé (2007), Bugatti Veyron (2006) and Britain’s own Aston Martin DB9 (2005).