AUTOBEST is growing from 15 to 26 represented countries. This is a new stage under the “Next Level Approach” strategy inaugurated a year ago. The new 11 members of the Jury are all outstanding motoring writers, respected voices in their countries, car experts and trendsetters able to completely assess future trends. They are coming from Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Nederland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and UK. AUTOBEST is keeping the same philosophy of only one journalist representing a country. No less than 91 % of the European population is represented by the Jury.
“We are in front of a historical moment in our evolution. We are now extending the “Best Buy Car of Europe” concept to the continental size. This is the evolution everybody expected from us. It is an ongoing process. We will continue the expansion with new countries but also with the evolution of rules and awards. We keep our focus on our mission and vision, learning and assessing the new automotive trends and the customer needs we are facing now and in the future.” Dan Vardie, Founder and Chairman stated.
The enlarged Jury will start working immediately as of today, by voting all the awards. For this year, the major change in Jury rules is referring to the minimum price for a completely new model to be eligible. Starting today, the new entry limit for a standard price new model is changing from 17.000 Euro (tax included) to 20.000 Euro (price without any kind of tax included) – valid for next “AUTOBEST” award. This will allow a larger number of eligible cars from new models addressed to the customers of Europe.
The AUTOBEST organization was created in 2001 with the revolutionary concept of “best buy car” available on the European markets. To become an AUTOBEST winner, a car must be the best offer for most of the European customers. Price, service network, spare parts distribution and versatility are the most important criteria in the voting process. Design and new high-tech gadgets are coming in line as important criterias for voting. AUTOBEST is using a transparent voting system, with a complex matrix of 13 criteria in deciding the winner.
The AUTOBEST Jury is also paying attention to the efforts the automotive industry is making. Investments, new automotive job opportunities for the people, spending funds for green cars and technologies, the support for different regions of Europe are carefully checked and appreciated by the Jury. New technologies on board and connectivity is also under the scrutiny of the Jury. All in all, 8 awards are dedicated to the mentioned achievements: MANBEST, COMPANYBEST, ECOBEST, DESIGNBEST, TECHNOBEST, SAFETYBEST, SMARTBEST and SPORTBEST.
“When we introduced the `ECOBEST` award 14 years ago, many people told us that nobody really cares about eco issues! Today, our award is eagerly awaited and the most respected one in the field. MANBEST and DESIGNBEST are real Hall of Fames for the best top executives and designers we have in the industry today. SMARTBEST, introduced three years ago, was the first European prize assessing the smart connectivity, infotainment on board. All these awards introduced firstly by the AUTOBEST Jury became the European accolades. And the journey is continuing…” Ilia Seliktar, AUTOBEST Jury President said.
The AUTOBEST Jury introduced the best organized comparative test for the cars in the final selection. Organized at NAVAK Center near Belgrade, Serbia, the test performed on public roads and on track is the most comprehensive drive session organized by an independent motoring Jury.
