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''Wheels'' magazine, an Australian automotive interests monthly published continuously since 1953, has selected a Car of the Year every year since 1963, with the exception of 1972, 1979 and 1986 when no particular new release car was judged worthy of the honour. () It is considered Australia's most prestigious automotive award. Wheels magazine, itself, contends that its Car of the Year award remains the oldest continuous motoring award of its kind in the world. The original intention of the award was to promote excellence in the Australian car manufacturing industry. Until the mid-70's, imported vehicles were not eligible for the award. Domestic manufacturers Holden, Ford, Chrysler, Datsun, and Toyota dominated sales with a wide variety of body and engine types. With falling sales, the mid 1970s fuel crisis and the instability of the Australian economy, all European brands, such as, Renault and Volkswagen began to close their local assembly plants. The Renault 8, which was built in many countries including Australia and Renault's home nation France, had been the first winner of the award for 1963, while the Renault 12 was the award winner seven years later. British Motor Corporation, which was mostly based in Britain but also had factories in several other countries, won the second award with its 1100 saloon range. With a shrinking local manufacturing base affected by reliability and quality issues, Wheels magazine changed the basis of the award to include imported vehicles to be eligible for the title. At first, this was condemned by the local industry, unions and media. But by doing this, Wheels magazine enabled local products to be judged on a global platform. This, in turn, is said to have contributed toward a more competitive local product and industry. The first imported car to receive the award was the Honda Accord in 1977. ''Wheels''’ Car of the Year winners are: *1963 Renault 8 *1964 Morris 1100 *1965 Ford Falcon (XP) *1966 Ford Falcon (XR) *1967 Chrysler Valiant (VE) *1968 Holden Monaro (HK) *1969 Holden Torana (LC) *1970 Renault 12 *1971 Chrysler Valiant Charger (VH) *1972 Award withheld *1973 Leyland P76 V8 *1974 Volkswagen Passat (B1) *1975 Holden Gemini (TX) *1976 Volkswagen Golf Mk1 *1977 Honda Accord *1978 Holden Commodore (VB) *1979 Award withheld *1980 Mazda 323 *1981 Mercedes-Benz 380 SE (W126) *1982 Holden Camira (JB) *1983 Mazda 626 (GC) and Ford Telstar (AR) — joint award *1984 Mitsubishi Nimbus *1985 Mitsubishi Magna (TM) *1986 Award withheld *1987 Honda Prelude *1988 Holden Commodore (VN) *1989 Mazda MX-5 (NA) *1990 Lexus LS 400 (XF10) *1991 Honda NSX and Nissan Pulsar (N14) *1992 Mazda 626 (GE) and Ford Telstar (AX) — joint award *1993 Holden Commodore (VR) *1994 Subaru Liberty *1995 Honda Odyssey *1996 Mitsubishi Magna/Verada (TE/KE) *1997 Holden Commodore (VT) *1998 Subaru Liberty wagon *1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220) *2000 Subaru Impreza *2001 Holden Barina (XC) *2002 Ford Falcon (BA) *2003 Mazda RX-8 *2004 Ford Territory (SX) *2005 Mazda MX-5 (NC) *2006 Holden Commodore (VE) *2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W204) *2008 Honda Accord Euro *2009 Volkswagen Golf Mk6 *2010 Volkswagen Polo Mk5 *2011 Honda CR-Z *2012 Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ — joint award *2013 Volkswagen Golf Mk7 *2014 BMW i3 == References == 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wheels Car of the Year」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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