NISSAN LEAF TAKES 2011 WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR CROWN

Winners of the World Car of the Year Awards were announced today at the 2011 New York Auto Show. The Nissan LEAF took the big prize and was named overall 2011 World Car of the Year. It piped fellow finalists the Audi A8 and the BMW 5 Series. LEAF is an all-electric family hatch, the first to be mass-produced, and is also the reigning European Car of the Year.

Other winners were the Ferrari 458 Italia which won World Performance Car of the Year, beating the Porsche 911 Turbo and our fastest car ever, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Previous winners in this category include the Nissan GT-R and the Audi R8. On the aesthetic side, the Aston Martin Rapide won World Design of the Year.