World auto writers pick top cars

Gerry Malloy

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Winners of the fourth annual World Car of the Year awards will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on March 20. The winners will be determined by a jury of 47 international journalists from 23 countries, including myself.

After two rounds of voting, an entry list of 39 eligible new vehicles has now been reduced to three finalists for the 2008 World Car of the Year title: Ford Mondeo, Mazda2/Mazda Demio and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

To be eligible for a World Car award, the contender had to be in production and sold on at least two continents during 2008.

The international accounting firm, KPMG, which tabulates the votes and keeps them confidential until the announcement ceremony, has also released names of the finalists in three other categories:

World Performance Car: Audi R8, Audi S5 Coupé, BMW M3

World Green Car: BMW 118d with EfficientDynamics, SmartForTwo cdi, Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI

World Car Design of the Year: Audi R8, Mazda2 / Mazda Demio, Volvo C30

Hybrid Mercedes on the way

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that a hybrid version of the brand's flagship S-Class sedan will be released next year.

To be called the S 400 BlueHybrid, it will be one of the first hybrids on the market to use a lithium-ion battery pack, which was developed in conjunction with the automotive supplier, Continental.

According to the company, the batteries employ breakthrough technology that enables them to satisfy the high demands of automotive use. Daimler says it holds 25 patents that have made this technology breakthrough possible.

Dodge for a Ferrari price

The 43rd Dodge Challenger to come off the Brampton production line was sold on eBay for $228,143.43.

Why number 43 and why so much? Because 43 was the number Richard Petty, NASCAR's "King Richard," made famous on a series of racing Dodges (and Plymouths) and because the proceeds from this sale are being donated to the Victory Junction Gang, a camp for children with serious diseases, which was founded by Petty's son, Kyle.

The high-priced Challenger is the only one factory-painted in the same blue colour as Petty's racers.

It also featured a commemorative plaque and a graphics package – the winning bidder can decide whether or not to apply the big number 43 on the car's doors.

Along with the car went a meet-and-greet session with Kyle Petty, and a VIP package to attend the Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR race at Darlington, S.C.

Challenger No.1 was sold this year for $400,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Corvette 427 reincarnated

Few numbers resonate in Chevrolet history more strongly than 427 – the cubic-inch displacement of the original "porcupine-head" big-block engine that thrust the brand to the head of the pack in NASCAR and evolved into the flagship powerplant for the now legendary Corvette 427 Stingrays.

Now the 427 is back, not just in the form of the 7.0 L LS7 small-block engine that powers the Corvette Z06 (7.0 L equals 427 cubic inches), but in name as well.

A Corvette 427 Limited Edition Z06 model will be offered in both the U.S. and Canada, (code Z44 if you want to order), with production beginning this spring.

Only 427 of these special vehicles will be offered in North America, with 78 more earmarked for other countries, making a production run of 505 – the same number as the LS7's horsepower rating.

Features specific to the 427 model include a special red metallic tint-coat paint and graphics on the hood and fascia that evoke the style of the famed "stinger" hood design on 1967 models equipped with the 427 engine.

Also unique are "427" hood badges and interior embroidery. Each car is numbered and signed by Wil Cooksey, the Corvette assembly plant manager, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Sonata price slashed

We may not have access to the $9,995 Accent that Hyundai is selling in Quebec, but effective March 1, the company slashed the cash purchase price on the 2008 Sonata by $5,150 to $18,995.

"We wanted to provide customers outside of Quebec a specially priced Hyundai vehicle that would be on the scale of price reductions announced earlier for the Accent in Quebec," said John Vernile, vice- president, sales and marketing at Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.

Small cars dominate the market in Quebec. The mid-size Sonata competes against such vehicles as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in one of the largest car segments outside of Quebec.

Hyundai also offered special-event sales reductions on the Tiburon (starting at $15,995) and Tucson L (starting at $16,995), which along with the Accent and Tucson, gives the brand five models priced below $20,000.

Rumblings:

BMW's M3 Coupé and Sedan, arriving at BMW retailers today, will be priced at $71,300 and $69,900, respectively. The M3 Cabriolet, with a price of $81,900, will arrive in showrooms May 17.

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