The five finalists for the Autobest 2020 award have been named. The Nissan Juke, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio and Skoda Kamiq will compete for the 'Best Buy Car of Europe in 2020'. Its jury of 31 members, each representing their country, includes Complete Car Road Test Editor, Dave Humphreys. In mid-December, the winner of the Autobest 2020 award will be announced following a series of group tests carried out by the jury.
Top award for Opel boss
Among the other categories of awards, the Manbest 2019 recognises the best-performing managers in the industry each year. In this instance, Opel CEO, Michael Lohscheller, joins this exclusive group of winners. Autobest Chairman, Dan Vardie, said: "In a time when Opel was searching for the path to success, Michael Lohscheller was the right person, at the right time, with the right vision and strategy to push the German carmaker into a new era of success. Michael Lohscheller is the first European CEO of Opel to successfully drive the company to profit in almost two decades."
The 2019 Companybest award will go to the Geely Auto Group. It currently lists Lotus, Lynk & Co, LEVC and Volvo amongst its portfolio and since its founding by Li Shu Fu in 1986 has quickly grown to be one of the largest groups in the world, fast becoming increasingly successful. In recent years it became a shareholder in Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart.
Recognising the area of safety, this year Jaguar Land Rover earns the Safetybest award for its ClearSight rear view mirror and ClearSight Ground View technologies. The digital 'rear view mirror' redefines the concept of the mirror that has remained almost unchanged since its introduction in 1921. ClearSight Ground View is a world first, making real the otherwise impossible idea of a transparent bonnet, opening new frontiers for safety both on and off-road.
The Sportbest 2019 award will be posthumously presented for the first time, to the great Formula One champion and driver, Niki Lauda. The multiple world champion overcame tremendous challenges during his career and dedicated his life to engineering progress than changed Formula One in many ways. "He was the only driver in F1 history to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, the sport's two most successful constructors. Following his retirement from racing, he became a prominent figure in Formula One, working as a consultant first for Scuderia Ferrari, then as team principal for Jaguar Formula One team and non-executive chairman for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team," said Gerhard Kuntschik, Autobest Jury member representing Austria, and one of the most experienced European motorsports journalists.