The all-new Hyundai i40 Wagon has beaten the new Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz B class, BMW 1 series and the Mazda CX-5 to win the Golden Award at this year’s EuroCarBody Conference, held in Germany.
The award is regarded as the highest international accolade for body engineering, and the winner is decided after evaluation over a three-day period by the EuroCarBody Board, as well as the entire international expert audience of 500 conference delegates.
“This is the first time Hyundai has entered the awards, and as a result, Hyundai also became the first Asian car manufacturer to be awarded the top prize,” says Hyundai New Zealand’s Chief Operating Officer, Tom Ruddenklau.
“And with the all-new Hyundai i40 Wagon due to launch here in late January 2012, New Zealanders will be able to see for themselves what so impressed this international peer group of automotive engineers and designers.”
Hosted by Automotive Circle International, an organization consisting of top automotive suppliers and manufacturers, the judges praised the advanced engineering and effective use of materials, as well as the production efficiency of the i40 Wagon, which scored 37.98 out of a maximum 50 points. The closest competitor and second-placed car, the Audi A6, scored 35.86, with the Mercedes B-Class in third place achieving 34.66. A total of nine of Europe and Japan’s largest automotive manufacturers competed for the award.
The all-new i40 Wagon was designed and engineered in Europe, and uses high strength steel and improved joins in its structure. This means the i40 Wagon’s lightweight body has high energy absorption efficiency which increases safety for occupants in the event of an accident.
The Hyundai i40 Wagon recently achieved a maximum 5* ANCAP safety rating and is in the lowest insurance grouping for a mid-segment car in the UK, thanks to its innovative body structure.
“The Hyundai i40 Wagon is beautifully designed but also extremely practical,” says Tom Ruddenklau.
“To have been given this endorsement by the world’s top automotive engineering experts, and to be benchmarked as the market leader for design is a fantastic achievement for the Hyundai brand.”
