The Best Buy Car of Europe 2024
The BYD Dolphin has been announced as the winner of The Best Buy Car of Europe 2024 by AutoBest. It is the first time that a Chinese car brand has won the award, seeing off stiff competition from the Hyundai Kona, Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600. The jury, including CompleteCar.ie Road Test Editor Dave Humphreys represents 32 European countries.
"It is one of the most balanced Autobest competitions in a decade. All the finalists of this year proved to be outstanding products, with a great appeal and different competence as the Jury members checked thoroughly all the models during very detailed tests. But in the end, we have a winner, BYD Dolphin, an EV only model," said Dan Vardie, Founder & Chairman of Autobest.
Ecobest 2024 award
The Citroen e-C3 is the winner of the Ecobest 2024 award because of its design and relative affordability for a new electric vehicle. In most markets in Europe, the Citroen e-C3 will have a price of less than €25,000, which the jury recognises as an affordable price point for the average new car buyer. Furthermore, the Citroen will be built in Europe, demonstrating parent group Stellantis' commitment to making EVs more attainable for a broader range of people.
Technobest 2024 award
The jury also recognised several other areas of the automotive industry, recognising battery manufacturer CATL with its Technobest 2024 award. CATL's Shenxing is the world's first 4C superfast charging LFP battery, capable of delivering 400 kilometres of driving range with a 10-minute charge and over 700 kilometres in total.
Shenxing is expected to considerably alleviate fast charging anxiety for EV users and open up an era of EV superfast charging. Focusing on electrochemistry, CATL continues its innovation in material and electrochemistry and system structure, achieving superfast charging, high energy density and safety.
Safetybest 2024 awar
But it's not purely about cars. In the Autobest 2024 awards, Continental was awarded the Safetybest 2024 crown for developing its Detectable Jacket. This new material is designed for cyclists and pedestrians, making them more recognisable to the latest vehicle sensor technology. As we see continued advances in car safety, the industry must also consider other vulnerable road users.
Smartbest 2024 award
Lotus is the recipient of the Smartbest 2024 award, which recognises advances in car technology. Its Hyper OS system uses cutting-edge chips and software from Qualcomm and Epic Games. The innovative dual-chip system enables server-level computing power for rapid processing and zero-lag operation. Crucially, it has an enormous capacity for continuous improvement over the car's lifetime through over-the-air updates, allowing this groundbreaking system to develop further.
Sportbest 2024 award
The area of motorsport was also honoured, with the Sportbest 2024 award going to David Richards. His lengthy career has seen him win numerous world titles, most notably in rallying, but he has also been involved in endurance racing and Formula One. He founded Prodrive in 1984, and today, it is one of the leading motorsport companies in the world.