Fiat's new Panda will today be named European Car of the Year by an international jury of 58 motoring journalists. Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor, reports.
The Panda's success was decisive and it had a generous 40-point margin over nearest rivals, the Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf, which tied for second place.
The Toyota Avensis took third place, followed by the Opel Meriva, BMW 5 series and Nissan Micra.
Fiat's victory was a badly kept secret, but the result will be seen as giving troubled Fiat a huge morale boost.
According to Mr Andrew Hamilton, the Irish member of the Car of the Year jury: "For the journalist jurors, affordability and value for money are key elements in the voting criteria that also includes safety, economy, handling, performance and driver satisfaction."
Each of the 58 jury members, from 22 countries as far apart as Turkey and Ireland, Spain and Russia, had 25 points to allocate, with no more than 10 going to any particular car.
The Panda scored 281 points, with the joint runners-up, the Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf, getting 241 each. Thereafter, it was the Toyota Avensis with 219, the Opel Meriva 213, the BMW 5-series 144, and the Nissan Micra 111.
This is Fiat's eighth victory in the competition; it first won the accolade back in 1967 with the Fiat 124.