The motoring industry in Ireland is massive. Whether you admit it or not we all know a bit about cars. A lot of us even have one. Some don’t understand them, and others live and breathe by them.
Last night saw the industry take a chance to celebrate their achievements at the new APMP (Association of Professional Motoring Press) Car of the Year Awards, which were held in the Powerscourt Hotel in Co Wicklow.
Representatives from all of the major brands in Ireland attended the event which was held by the new organisation for motoring journalists in Ireland. According to Michael Sheridan, Chairperson of the APMP, “the awards are adjudicated on by the most respected motoring writers in Ireland from national newspapers, Radio and TV to the best internet commentators. With over 45 publications among the voter’s outlets, the awards are highly credible and desired by all car and van manufacturers."
By now we’ve all heard the Nissan Qashqai ads here on Newstalk and it was that car which one the overall award of Car of the Year. The Qashqai also picked up the APMP award for Mid Size SUV of the Year. In the van category the overall award was a split decision with three vehicles winning the prize - Citroen Relay, Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer were champions for the night.
Other winners include the intriguing Citroen C4 Cactus (Small SUV of the Year), the incredibly intelligent Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Innovation and Large SUV of the Year), and Land Rover walked away with the award for Business SUV of the Year. Overall the event was a massive success and I for one look forward to next year’s event.
A full list of winners can be seen below:
- APMP City Car of the Year - Hyundai i10
- APMP Small Car of the Year - MINI Hatch
- APMP Family Car of the Year - Audi A3 Saloon
- APMP Large Family Car of the Year - Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- APMP Performance Car of the Year - Alfa Romeo 4C
- APMP Luxury Car of the Year - Audi A8
- APMP Coupé/Cabriolet of the Year - BMW 2 Series
- APMP Small SUV of the Year - Citroen C4 Cactus
- APMP Mid size SUV of the Year - Nissan Qashqai
- APMP Large SUV of the Year - Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Large SUV of the Year - Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
In the van categories the winners were:
- APMP City Van of the Year - Ford Transit Courier
- APMP Small Van of the Year - Ford Transit Connect
- APMP Panel Van of the Year - Citroen Relay / Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer
- APMP Business SUV of the Year - Land Rover Discovery Business
The Innovation Award went to Mitsubishi PHEV technology.
The APMP Van of the Year is Citroen Relay / Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer
The APMP Car of the Year is Nissan Qashqai
APMP members at the awards ceremony last night
