Car Design of the Year Award winners announced at Car Design Night Geneva 2012

The winners of the 2011 Car Design of the Year awards, as voted for by the Car Design News readership, were unveiled on the evening of the first Geneva motor show press day at the annual Car Design Night at La Sip nightclub in the Swiss capital.

The event was one of the busiest in recent memory, with over 400 designers in attendance.

The winners of the annual Car Design of the Year Awards were presented by Car Design News' Editor, Owen Ready. After two months of voting, the winners of the Best Production and Best Concept Car design categories were announced as the Citroen DS5 and BMW Vision ConnectedDrive respectively.

The DS5, which made its debut at the 2011 Shanghai auto show and its European debut in Frankfurt, impressed with an approach that showed that a premium, luxurious car does not need to be cold, aggressive and serious. 

The award was presented to Frédéric Soubirou, a member of the Citroen's design team. The DS5 emerged victorious after collecting 24 percent of more than 4,000 votes, while the Lamborghini Aventador gained 19 percent of the vote to claim second place.

BMW's Vision ConnectedDrive was the pick of the CDN readership for the award of Best Concept Car, collecting 19 percent of the vote in its category.

The concept, unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show, attracted with its integration of digital technology and physical material elements, which indicated just how advanced BMW is within this field. Accepting the award at Car Design Night was Marc Girard, BMW's Head of Interior Design.

The Vision ConnectedDrive fended off stiff competition in the form of the Renault Captur and Peugeot's HX1, which received 16 percent and 13 percent of the vote respectively for second and third place.

CDN's editorial team was particularly impressed with BMW's concept, commenting: "In creating a superficially simple, organic exterior form, the designers have allowed the important technological elements and lighting to come to the fore in a way that perfectly captures the zeitgeist. By integrating technology and calling into question where design stops and technology starts, the designers have achieved a sort of automotive-technology holy grail."

Event partner Technicon Design also took to the stage at La Sip, introducing its latest design, the carbon-fiber Roding Roadster sports car. It drew crowds of the gathered design professionals who were amongst the first to experience Technicon's latest design.

The next Car Design Night will be held at the Beijing motor show in April.

By Rufus Thompson