Ford Mondeo scoops top Scots award

Ford’s new Mondeo has collected a top motoring accolade after triumphing at the 2007 Scottish Car of the Year awards.

The Blue Oval badge took top honours after beating more than 50 new models to take the prestigious title.

It is the second time that Ford has collected the award which is now widely regarded as one of the leading achievements within the UK’s automotive industry. Ford previously triumphed with its first generation Focus and this latest victory by the Mondeo was equally emphatic considering the strength of the other potential contenders.

More than 200 people from all aspects of the motor industry including Scottish motoring journalists attended a gala dinner at the five-star Fairmont St Andrews resort to witness this year’s awards ceremony.

Organised by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW), the event recognises the achievements of the new generation of cars launched during the past 12 months while also raising money for charity. To date, more than £120,000 has been collected for various deserving causes with the 2007 fundraising efforts in memory of rally legend Colin McRae, who was a Life Member of the ASMW.

Judged by members of the ASMW, the awards are separated across eight individual categories – Small, Family, Luxury, Drop Top, Sporting, Diesel, MPV and SUV – before an eventual winner is determined.

In keeping with previous years 2007 has witnessed the introduction of a considerable number of new models many of which have set a new benchmark in terms of performance, safety, and value for money.

The Skoda Fabia was the runaway winner in the Small car sector while the Lexus LS 460 dominated in the Executive segment and the Mazda MX-5 Roadster took top honours in the Drop Top category.

Nissan’s astonishingly frugal yet versatile Qashqai was voted the winner in the Diesel competition and the equally impressive Citroen C4 Picasso triumphed in the MPV despite stiff competition.

Land Rover continued its good run of impressive products with its Freelander comfortably taking the SUV title while Audi’s iconic TT Coupe was champion in the Sporting category.

Finally, as well as being the overall winner by one of the biggest margins in the event’s 10 year history, the remarkable Ford Mondeo also scooped a win in the Family category.

At the awards, Stephen Park, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, said: “We have witnessed and driven some brilliant new cars during the past 12 months making our task of deciding category winners all the harder.

“There are some exceptional new vehicles around and it is heartening to see that the UK automotive industry is in such a strong position. Like a great number of industries it has been under enormous pressure to deliver on all fronts and it has responded magnificently to that challenge.

“None more so than Ford Motor Company who have come up with a fantastic new third-generation Mondeo.

“It was never going to be an easy task replacing a car that was so popular but Ford has achieved the impossible in creating an exciting new model that ticks all the right boxes in terms of choice, driving dynamics, packaging, safety and, above all, value for money.”

Accepting the Scottish Car of the Year award, Ian Slater, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group, said: “I am thrilled the Ford Mondeo has won the Scottish Car of the Year title for the company for a second time. Winning the family car category further underlines that Ford is hitting the right target markets and I would like to thank the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers for the two awards.”