A field of 35 candidates for the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2013 awards was announced by the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA) today.  The Continental Irish Car of the Year and Continental Irish Van of the Year will be revealed at a gala event in the Convention Centre, Dublin, on Thursday 22nd November.

The full field of candidates for the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2013 are as follows:

Audi A3
Audi Q3
BMW 3 Series
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé
BMW M5
Chevrolet Cruze
Chevrolet Orlando
Chevrolet Spark
Chrysler 300C
Citroen DS5
Fiat Panda
Ford B-Max
Honda Civic
Honda CR-V
Hyundai i30
Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Veloster
Kia cee'd
Kia Optima
Lexus GS
Mazda CX-5
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Mercedes-Benz SL
Opel Zafira Tourer
Peugeot 208
Porsche 911
Porsche Boxster
SEAT Mii
Skoda Citigo
Subaru XV
Toyota GT86
Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen up!
Volvo V40

Gerry Murphy, Chairman of the IMWA, commented: “In spite of the general economic slowdown, we are still seeing the arrival in Ireland of a lot of innovative new car models brim full of new automotive technologies and the field of runners for the 2013 title certainly doesn’t  dissappoint”.

The 28 voting members of the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association assess each vehicle, attributing points on the basis of criteria ranging from innovation and safety, to space, comfort, build quality, driving quality and value for money.

“As with each year, the IMWA car jury provide a great service for Irish motorists in helping them to make sense of the bewildering array of new cars that has been launched in Ireland this year”, commented Paddy Murphy of Continental Tyres Ireland, Irish Car of the Year sponsor.  “The list of candidates for this year’s award is an eclectic one with a lot of quality in it – it won’t be an easy choice for the jurors”.

A shortlist of vehicles will be announced in the coming weeks.

Last year the Continental Irish Car of the Year title went to the Kia Rio while the van accolade was won by the Volkswagen Crafter.