Some car trivia for the weekend was required as we get down to the business of Christmas cheer, and in this gallery we take a look at all the Car of the Year models from 1964 to today. This year, the humble Volkswagen Polo took out the title, marking the 47th since the award was incepted. The Car of the Year award is judged by seven European car magazine titles: Autocar in the UK, Stern in Germany, Vi Bilägare in Sweden, Autovisie in the Netherlands, L’Automobile Magazine in France, Auto in Italy, and Autopista in Spain.
The first Car of the Year back in 1964 was the Rover 2000, and things have come a long way since then. The Car of the Year must be a new vehicle that is available to at least five European markets in the year in question. Criteria such as design, comfort, performance, safety, practicality, ecology and economy, price and overall driveability are considered.
Perhaps surprisingly, the brand that has received the most awards in the history of the Car of the Year is Fiat, with a total of nine models, and that’s not including other Fiat Group brands such as Alfa Romeo or Lancia. Following Fiat, the company with the most success has been Renault, winning six times. The Volkswagen Polo for 2010 marks only the second time that Volkswagen has won the prize. After the jump is the full list of Car of the Year models from 1964 to 2010.
1964 – Rover 2000
1965 – Austin 1800
1966 – Renault R16
1967 – Fiat 124
1968 – NSU Ro 80
1969 – Peugeot 504
1970 – Fiat 128
1971 – Citroen GS
1972 – Fiat 127
1973 – Audi 80
1974 – Mercedes S-Series W116
1975 – Citroen CX
1976 – Simca 1307 and 1308
1977 – Rover SD1
1978 – Porsche 928
1979 – Simca Horizon
1980 – Lancia Delta
1981 – Ford Escort
1982 – Renault 9
1983 – Audi 100
1984 – Fiat Uno
1985 – Opel Kadett
1986 – Ford Scorpio
1987 – Opel Omega
1988 – Peugeot 405
1989 – Fiat Tipo
1990 – Citroen XM
1991 – Renault Clio
1992 – Volkswagen Golf
1993 – Nissan Micra
1994 – Ford Mondeo
1995 – Fiat Punto
1996 – Fiat Bravo and Brava
1997 – Renault Megane Scenic
1998 – Alfa Romeo 156
1999 – Ford Focus
2000 – Toyota Yaris
2001 – Alfa Romeo 147
2002 – Peugeot 307
2003 – Renault Megane II
2004 – Fiat Panda
2005 – Toyota Prius
2006 – Renault Clio
2007 – Ford S-Max
2008 – Fiat 500
2009 – Opel Insignia
2010 – Volkswagen Polo
Source | Autoblog.it