THE FIAT PANDA IS 'AUTOBEST 2004'
The Fiat Panda has won the third edition of the 'AUTOBEST' award. It was chosen by an international jury of 9 trade journalists from nine emerging European markets: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Turkey and Yugoslavia.
The jury selects the winner of the 'AUTOBEST' award from a shortlist of seven finalists on the basis of thirteen parameters, which include styling, comfort, low running costs, driveability, price and value for money. The latter criterion, the excellent sales and service network and the car's generous interior were considered the model's strong points, on which the largest number of votes was concentrated.
Each jury member has 240 points at his disposal to distribute among the 7 cars, with a maximum number of points for each area assessed. The Fiat Panda took first place with 474 points, ahead of the Opel Meriva (389), Renault Megane II Sedan (381), Ford Fusion (320), Hyundai Getz (221), Nissan Micra (200) and Mazda2 (175).
'AUTOBEST 2004' is another important prize won by the Fiat Panda after the prestigious 'Car of the Year 2004' title, which it was the first car of its segment to win, and the coveted 'Auto Europa 2004' title awarded by the Italian trade press. Critical acclaim, in other words, immediately backed up by the clientele, and confirmed by over 100,000 orders received by the marketing network in less than three months since its launch.
Turin, December 5, 2003