The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers has made the Jaguar XK Coupe its Car of the Year for 2006. Competing against more than 50 new models launched during the past 12 months, the XK Coupe won both the best overall car award and the best sports car .
The awards were presented by the Association’s president, Stephen Park who said, "The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers are delighted to award our Scottish Car of the Year accolade for 2006 to the Jaguar XK Coupe. Despite so many fantastic category winners, the XK Coupe emerged as a clear overall champion. Perfectly proportioned from every angle, and designed by Scotsman Ian Callum the XK is also thoroughly accomplished on the road. Furthermore, the imminent addition of a supercharged derivative to complement the normally aspirated 4.2 litre engine, adds further strength to the Jaguar’s case."
The ‘Car of the Year’ award for the XK was collected by Jaguar’s UK Managing Director Geoff Cousins who said, "I am especially honoured to collect this award for what we believe to be a truly deserving winner. The XK made an immediate impact in the UK when it was launched in March this year and already more than 2,000 customers in the UK have taken delivery, with Scottish dealers recording a 57% growth in XK sales compared to 2005. Scotland continues to be a significant market for us, with more than 1,100 vehicles sold this year while XJ sales have increased by 40% since 2005."
The ‘Sporting Car of the Year’ award for the XK Coupe was collected by Jaguar’s Design Director Ian Callum who said, "I feel very proud to have led the team that created the award-winning XK and it's even more special to me to collect the prize in Scotland from the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers. The XK is undoubtedly the most advanced car Jaguar has ever produced and marks the beginning of a whole new chapter for the company ."
The winners of the remaining categories were:
Small car – Fiat Punto;
Family car – Skoda Roomster (the first award for Skoda's most innovative model);
Luxury car – Lexus IS;
Diesel car – Seat Leon TDI FR;
MPV – Ford S-MAX;
SUV – Audi Q7;
Drop Top – Mazda MX-5.
Stephen Park, said, "Every now and again a motor manufacturer breaks rank and offers something totally different. With an increasing number of niche markets developing, it is refreshing that new car buyers are faced with such a fabulous choice. Skoda has increasingly thrown caution to the wind in creating desirable family transporters."
Chris Craft, Skoda UK Brand Director, said, "We’re delighted with this important award. The Roomster is a clever, practical car that genuinely brings something new to the market. We’ve already had to increase production, which shows us that buyers are just as enthusiastic!"
Rob Lindley, managing director of Mazda UK added: "We are truly delighted that the Mazda MX-5 has been named Scottish Car of the Year’s ‘Best Drop-Top’. This 2006 award is further confirmation that the latest MX-5 has kept faith with the ethos of the original iconic Mazda sports car, while adding even more Zoom-Zoom excitement to the ownership and driving experience. It’s no surprise that Mazda is now the UK’s favourite sports car brand."
