Let the judging begin . . .

IN A QUIET little seaside hamlet in northern Denmark, there’s a run of the mill aparthotel on a stretch of road that leads down to an empty windswept beach on the North Sea coast. A holiday haven in July, the campsites and restaurants are battened down for winter by the end of September.

Nestled against the weather-beaten walls of the two-storey apartment blocks, taking shelter from sheets of rain rolling in off the sea, is the latest array of motoring metal due on European roads in the next 12 months. They’re gathered here for the first of the assessment tests for the European Car of the Year award.

Car launches are normally stage-managed affairs, the locations chosen as much for photogenic backdrops as for testing roads. This, however, is an event organised by the journalists for themselves. It therefore should be a shambles but, somehow, it all works. Aesthetics or scenery never entered the minds of organisers: quiet roads and a collection of the latest models in the one spot are all that mattered. And yet the grass-covered sand dunes of northern Denmark that inspired a school of Scandinavian artists are breathtaking in its own right.

Given that much of the area is in lock down for winter however, the setting is less than salubrious. But that doesn’t matter. This is, after all, a glorified school outing for petrolheads with more than a hint of boarding school about it, from the communal meal times on long trestle tables to the apartment bunk beds. And like preoccupied school children, there’s only one topic of conversation: cars. Big ones, small ones, electric ones, fast ones. If four wheels and an engine doesn’t grab you then you had better bring a good book.

On the front lawn sits three Range Rover Evoques, bumper-to-bumper with a pair of Volkswagen Ups, across from which rests a prototype of the upcoming Fiat Panda, the new Citroën DS5, and a line of Opels ranging from the much-heralded Ampera to the new Zafira that was unveiled two weeks ago at the Frankfurt motor show.

Towards the rear is a gaggle of new Mercedes, comprising the new B-Class, M-Classes and SLKs. Round by the kitchen lies a host of upcoming hybrids from Peugeot, Toyota and Citroën. Nearby is a cluster of electric cars, all charged up and ready for the road.

For the unseasonal tourist who stumbles upon the test event, it’s a personal motor show without the glitz and glamour of Frankfurt.

Endless marketing presentations are put to one side as engineers explain in detail what makes their cars tick, literally and figuratively. The men and women who spent the last few years bringing these cars to the road are here to explain what they’ve done with their time, without the aid of PowerPoint or PR spin.

If there’s a general trend to be observed from the new models coming our way, it’s that the current emissions bands are going to be seriously challenged. Many of the latest models feature powertrains with emissions well within the lowest tax bands in Ireland. While engineers aren’t focusing on our relatively minor market, if the manufacturers are preparing new cars with emissions of less than 120g/km – warranting annual motor tax rates of €104 a year – it’s going to prove something of a headache for the bean counters on Merrion Square who have watched the tax take from the motoring sector plummet in recent years. It’s not wildly optimistic to believe that many of the family cars due on forecourts in the next five years will have emissions below 100g/km and, perhaps, even as low as 50g/km.

Alongside lower emissions, active safety technology is all the rage. Emergency braking systems are gradually becoming commonplace, already in use by the likes of Mercedes, Volvo and Ford. These systems emit radar-like signals from the front and rear of the cars. If it seems a collision is inevitable, braking is applied. Not only do the systems prevent costly prangs, they can also save pedestrian lives.

So who are this year’s arch-rivals for the Car of the Year title? Well the long list has been completed and the debates over entry criteria are at an end. Some 35 newly launched cars have made the grade for the 2012 award.

To be eligible they need to be on sale in at least five European countries by the time the votes are cast and have an expected sales volume of at least 5,000 a year. That might rule out some exclusive supercars but it makes the contest more relevant to general European consumers. The cars are judged against a criteria of design, comfort, safety, economy, handling, performance, functionality, environmental requirements, driver satisfaction, and price. Technical innovation and value for money are very important factors.

In a change to the format this year, the winner will no longer be announced in late November but instead will be unveiled on the eve of press day at the Geneva motor show on Monday, March 5th.

EUROPEAN CAR OF THE YEAR 2012 THE CANDIDATES

Audi A6

Audi Q3

BMW 1-Series

BMW 6-Series

Chevrolet Aveo

Chevrolet Orlando

Citroën DS4

Citroën DS5

Fiat Panda

Ford Focus

Honda Civic

Hyundai i40

Hyundai Veloster

Kia Picanto

Kia Rio

Chrysler Ypsilon

Lexus GS

Mazda CX-5

Mercedes-Benz B-Class

Mercedes-Benz ML

Mercedes-Benz

SLK

Opel Ampera

Opel Zafira Tourer

Peugeot 508

Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4

Porsche 911

Range Rover Evoque

Renault Kangoo ZE

Renault Fluence ZE

SsangYong Korando

Toyota Verso S

Toyota Yaris

Volkswagen

Beetle

Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen Up!