The Opel Ampera and sister model, the Chevrolet Volt  won the ‘Car of the Year’ award, which was presented at the Geneva Show for the first time.

By handing victory to the revolutionary electric vehicles, the panel of judges, made up of 59 leading automotive journalists from 23 European nations, paid tribute to General Motors’ innovative foresight. The Opel Ampera / Chevrolet Volt were the undisputed winners with 330 points against VW Up (281) and Ford Focus (256).

For the first time in the history of the prize, the final selection was made in the context of the Geneva international motor show. The Opel CEO, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, and Chevrolet’s President and Managing Director for Europe, Susan Docherty, were both handed the “Car of the Year 2012” award by the President of the COTY judging panel, Hakan Matson.

The Ampera and the Volt emerged as the joint overall winner in a field of seven COTY finalists. Initially, 35 recently launched vehicles entered the contest. The selection criteria applied by the judges were based on attributes such as design, comfort, performance and especially innovative technologies as well as efficiency – areas where the Ampera and the Volt excel.

"It is a proud moment for us and an honor to receive this award from Europe’s leading jury of automotive journalists," said Susan Docherty, President and Managing Director, Chevrolet Europe. "Our car demonstrates that electric driving can be fun and reliable without ever compromising the owners’ lifestyle."

“We are extremely pleased that our revolutionary electric vehicle has emerged as the winner in such a tough field of competitors. And we are very proud of this accolade,” says the Opel CEO, Karl-Friedrich Stracke. “This encourages us further to continue our leadership role in the area of e-mobility.”