BYD Dolphin has been voted “AUTOBEST 2024” winner, the European accolade for The Best Buy Car of Europe in 2024. With a total of 20.057 points, Dolphin came in first place in a close competition with the runner up Hyundai Kona, shy with only 344 points. On a proud third position on the European podium is Jeep Avenger.
A better perspective of the rankings is offered by the AUTOBEST Index showing the percentages of how many points each of the Finalists managed to attract from the voting process. BYD DOLPHIN attracted 25.88 % of the total number of available points in the voting process, FIAT 600, 24.00 %, HYUNDAI KONA, 25.44% and JEEP AVENGER, 24.68%. The detailed results are in the annex and available on www.autobest.org
`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. ` declared Dan Vardie, Founder & Chairman of the AUTOBEST organization.
`This year’s edition is coming with a historical premiere. For the first time we have a Chinese brand, with a model manufactured in China to become the Best Buy Car of Europe. BYD is one of the global leading companies in the world of electrification and Dolphin – which is one of Top 5 most sold EV’s in the world- is a great car who already started to perform very well in Europe, too. The victory of BYD Dolphin is clear proof that today the car industry is becoming a more global business with less boundaries compared with only few years ago. The industry is growing in all territories with products showing an appeal able to satisfy any kind of tastes and driving habits, including the most demanding ones of European consumers.` Dan Vardie added.
For the fourth time, AUTOBEST organized successfully the Final Test in Teesdorf, Austria.
Taking place at the end of November, the event garnered active participation from all AUTOBEST Jury members representing 30 European nations, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation through on-road and on-track driving sessions. The only missing Jury members were the Russian representative which is suspended and our Ukrainian colleague who is unable to leave his country.
Leveraging the expertise and support of our esteemed partners at the OAMTC proving ground in Teesdorf, AUTOBEST orchestrated a series of tests that stand as the most intricate and comprehensive set in contemporary motoring media.
The strategic collaboration with OAMTC underscores AUTOBEST’s unwavering commitment to conducting thorough and insightful evaluations of the latest automotive innovations. This partnership amplifies our ability to deliver a comprehensive assessment, further solidifying AUTOBEST’s dedication to excellence in the dynamic landscape of the automotive industry.
The legendary David Richards is the winner of SPORTBEST 2024 award. Richards is a former Rally World Champion who started his engineering and advanced technology company ‘Prodrive’ in 1984 (celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024), led Formula One teams as team principal, held the position of CEO of Aston Martin, is Chairman at Motorsport UK and most recently been appointed FIA Foundation Chairman. Richards is one of the most prominent figures in motorsports all over the world. He received the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005, is a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame, he has been known for his amiable, unselfish and approachable management and leadership throughout his stellar sports career, and is a dedicated supporter of motorsports and the car industry. Therefore, we are extremely proud to award Sportbest 2024 to David Richards.
TECHNOBEST 2024 is going to CATL for the revolutionary Shenxing battery. CATL launched Shenxing, the world’s first 4C superfast charging LFP battery, capable of delivering 400 km of driving range with a 10-minute charge as well as a range of over 700 km on a single full charge. Shenxing is expected to considerably alleviate fast charging anxiety for EV users and opens up an era of EV superfast charging. Focusing on the very nature of electrochemistry, CATL continues its innovation in material and electrochemistry and system structure in an all-round way, achieving superfast charging, high energy density and high level of safety at the same time in a creative manner. Shenxing pushes beyond the boundaries of the performance of LFP chemistry, leading innovation in the battery industry.
Lotus is the winner of SMARTBEST 2024 award for its Hyper OS system . The Lotus Hyper OS system is genuinely cutting-edge, using the latest technology 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 enormous capacity for continuous improvement over the lifetime of the car, through over-the-air updates, which will allow this groundbreaking system to develop even further. This ensures it stays true to the Lotus ethos of continuous development as well as the sporting British luxury brand’s reputation for offering the very latest in technology. It is a first for Lotus winning an award from AUTOBEST Jury in the last two decades. And this prize is about the best latest connected tech on board of the cars.
The new Citroën ë-C3 is the winner of ECOBEST 2024 award – a car that wants to become a gamechanger in the European Battery Electric Vehicles market. Proposing a fashionable, well equipped, roomy and safety segment B car for less than 25.000 euros in most European countries, Citroën opens a new path for EV cars and makes them affordable for many people interested in beating on electric mobility. And, even more important, the new Citroën ë-C3 will be built in Europe showing Stellantis’ commitment with European Industry and also the capability to be very cost effective in producing EV’s. It is a first for Europe.
Continental is the winner of SAFETYBEST 2024 award for its outstanding Detectable Jacket. As we see continued advances in car safety, it is imperative that other vulnerable road users are also considered. With this in mind, Continental’s developed a new material in its Detectable Jacket that makes cyclists more easily recognizable to the latest vehicle sensor technology. That’s a simple but smart and very useful first in the industry. It simply showing that many times the simple things can make a remarkable difference.
AUTOBEST proudly announces the upcoming 23rd AUTOBEST Awards Gala, set to make history as it takes place in Luxembourg for the first time. In keeping with tradition, the AUTOBEST European Jury will unveil and present awards in a different European country each year. The recently concluded 22nd AUTOBEST Gala unfolded on May 11th, 2023, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The European AUTOBEST Jury extends heartfelt gratitude to readers from across Europe for their continuous support of the project. Additionally, the Jury acknowledges the invaluable contributions of various PR departments within the automotive industry. Their unwavering support has been instrumental in facilitating the organization of meetings and drive tests for the assessment of new products.
ENDS
About AUTOBEST
Established in 2001, AUTOBEST revolutionized the concept of identifying the ‘Best Buy Car’ available in the European market. To attain AUTOBEST recognition, a car must exemplify the best overall value for a broad spectrum of European customers. Crucial criteria in the voting process include price, service network, spare parts distribution, and versatility. The assessment also increasingly considers design and new technologies as pivotal factors. AUTOBEST employs a transparent voting system, utilizing a sophisticated matrix of 13 criteria to determine the ultimate winner.
AUTOBEST Jury also successfully established other 8 regular awards – COMPANYBEST, MANBEST, DESIGNBEST, SMARTBEST, SAFETYBEST, ECOBEST, TECHNOBEST and SPORTBEST. It also unveiled two of the most important global awards in the industry, A STAR IS BORN and THE FUTURE IS HERE. AUTOBEST is the proprietary of the AUTOBEST Hall of Fame, the Oscar of all the AUTOMOTIVE Hall of Fames, having inducted some of the living legends of our `auto` planet.
Contact:
Andreea Oglan
pr@autobest.org
