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Mercedes C Class - World Car of the Year

Mercedes-Benz scored a breathtaking hat trick at the World Car Of The Year Awards 2015. The Mercedes C-Class was voted the overall World Car of the Year but the German manufacturer also scooped a further two awards, with the S-Class Coupe being named the World Luxury Car of the Year and the AMG GT winning the World Performance Car category.

Held at the New York Motor Show in April, the World Car Awards are judged exclusively by top automotive journalists, with 75 international writers voting in the 2015 awards. Candidate models must be new and available for sale on at least two continents during the relevant timescale - for this year's awards the period between January 1 2014 and May 31 2015.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was voted the Car of the Year, beating fellow finalists the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat. The last three former winners were the Audi A3 (2014), Volkswagen Golf (2013) and Volkswagen Up (2012).

Speaking of the Mercedes C-Class, the jurors said: Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.

Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Mercedes-Benz, said: The C-Class has always been a trendsetter in the premium medium-size category. This is true for the new C-Class as well. It comes to the starting line with qualities usually reserved for higher-class automobiles. It embodies what we understand modern automotive luxury made by Mercedes-Benz to be and has all the prerequisites to be a huge success. Accordingly we are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year.

The S-Class Coupe won the World Luxury Car award with the jurors remarking: Mercedes-Benz design and technology are forming a marriage that is more happy than ever. There is no better car to prove it than this stunningly beautiful derivative of the S-class, available with powerful, turbocharged V-8 and V-12 engines.

Speaking of World Performance Car winner the Mercedes-AMG GT, the jurors said: Its on-road presence alone is almost enough to qualify it as a Top 3' finalist. But in addition to its ruggedly handsome looks it has an impressive spec sheet comprising biturbo 4.0-litre V-8 engine, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, 456 hp (minimum)...and much, much more.

It was a great year for German manufacturers, with the BMW i8 being named the increasingly important Green Car of the Year, with the judges noting that: The i8 adds so much enjoyment to a sensible lifestyle that it needs to be recognized as a great Green Car.

The only non-German winner, in fact, was the French Citron C4 Cactus, which won the World Car Design of the Year category.

World Car jurors observed that: The Cactus is a truly innovative piece of design. It has an appealingly distinct exterior announced first by its slender upper front lights, proportions slightly different to any other car, and by those stand-out air-bumps' that help safeguard against parking scrapes...The Cactus design is a proper breath of fresh air.

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