Irish Car of the Year shortlist announced

Will Kia make it two in a row? The Kia Optima (above) and the Kia cee’d are both shortlisted for this year’s Continental Irish Car of the Year

BMW has a strong showing in the Continental Irish Car of the Year Award shortlist with three of its models claiming spots in the final 11.

Members of the Irish Motoring Writers Association have whittled down the longlist of 35 to a mere 11 vehicles, including three from the German car manufacturer and two from Korean car maker Kia, which currently holds the title.

Factors such as value for money, style, engineering and performance were taken into account when deciding on the shotlist.

Paddy Murphy of Continental Tyres Ireland said: ‘In spite of the weak car market in Ireland, this year’s shortlist includes a nice mix of interesting and exciting new concepts and revisions of old nameplates.’

The Kia Rio was last year’s winner. Its successor will be announced at the awards ceremony on November 22.

Shortlist (in alphabetical order):

BMW 3 Series
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé
BMW M5
Ford B-Max
Kia cee’d
Kia Optima
Mazda CX-5
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Peugeot 208
Toyota GT86
Volvo V40