European Car of The Year 2012 to be announced at Geneva

The European Car of the Year 2012 will be revealed at next month's Geneva motor show, drawn from a shortlist of seven cars.

In the first stage of voting judges selected their seven favorite cars from a list of 35 candidates that were put on sale in Europe in 2011, with January seeing the declaration of the seven finalists.

The second stage of voting will find the European Car of the Year 2012, with the winning car announced on 5 March at the Geneva motor show.

Here's a quick look at the final seven and what the judges said about them:

Citroën DS5

The DS5 is generally perceived to be the most successful of the three models seeking to evoke the spirit of distinction and originality of the ID/DS cars of the 1950s. The intricacy of its exterior shape, with a descending roofline much alike to its ancestor, indicates a sporty wagon. The spacious interior almost wraps the driver with its roof console, door panel and tall centre console. The fit and finish of the car is modern and the car is completed by ample trunk space.

New Car: Citroën DS5
DS5 stars in Citroën cinemagraphs
Design Review: Citroen DS5 

Fiat Panda

The Panda was declared Car of the Year in 2004 and Fiat will be hoping to add another award to its collection. The updated model, with a bigger body and bigger tracks, comes complete with increased cabin and luggage space and a refreshed dash.

New Car: Fiat Panda

Ford Focus

The Ford Focus follows the company's Kinetic design theme, aiming to create the illusion of movement even with stationary. Inside, a touch screen allows you to control navigation, phone and entertainment. Steering wheel mounted controls with a display in the cluster ahead of the driver means additional functions can be controlled without taking your eyes away from the road. The Focus' aerodynamics are much improved due to a device in the front grille controlling the airflow.

New Car: 2012 Ford Focus
Design Review: Ford Focus

Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera/Chevrolet Volt

This plug-in hybrid passenger car, despite the price and issues concerning cabin and luggage space, aims to address user concerns about the range of the car with the concept of an ‘Extended range EV'. The gas engine operates as a generator when necessary, and recharge time is fast while the energy cost is very low.

New Car: Chevrolet Volt
Design Review: a week with a Chevrolet Volt
Design Review: Chevrolet Volt concept 
New Car: Opel Ampera preview

Range Rover Evoque

The Evoque also deploys elegant styling in a 3-door ‘Coupe' with a lower roofline, a four-person cabin and a smaller boot than the 5-door. Although the 5-door is a modest 4.35m long, it can easily be used as a family car. The interior successfully combines command driving position traditional to the brand, with a snug, coupe-like feel.

New Car: Range Rover Evoque
Design Review: Range Rover Evoque 
Design Review: Range Rover Evoque

Toyota Yaris

The Yaris has been one of the smallest B-segment models in overall length, and the effort to remain compact continues with this model, standing at just 3.89m long. In doing so the Yaris has lost the sliding rear bench, but the cabin is fairly spacious and functional.

New Car: Toyota Yaris
Design Review: Toyota Yaris 

Volkswagen Up!

The production A-segment car remains faithful to the original concept and is generally considered both a car that is fun to drive and also aesthetically pleasing. The 3-door comes with deep front seats that fold to provide easy access to the rear of the cabin, and despite being 3.54m long the cabin is spacious enough for four adults. The trunk space is also considered roomy for its segment.

New Car: Volkswagen Up! concept
New Car: Volkswagen Up!
New Car: Volkswagen Up! Lite concept (w/ Video)
New Car: Volkswagen Space Up!

By Rufus Thompson