Fiat's retro-styled 500 city car has been named Car of the Year by European motoring journalists.
The 500 won the prestigious title with a significant lead over the recently-launched Mazda2 and Ford Mondeo.
The quirky small car, due for launch in Ireland next month, harks back to the original Cinquecento version which was launched 50 years ago and became an icon of Italian design.
Fiat is hoping for the same nostalgia-based success as BMW has had with the Mini.
The Car of the Year title is awarded by a panel of 58 journalists from across Europe to a new car launched during the year of the competition. This reporter represents Ireland on the jury.
The Fiat scored 385 points, receiving votes from 57 of the 58 journalists, with only a Portuguese jury member giving it no points at all. It had a substantial lead over the second place Mazda2, with 325 points, while the Ford Mondeo finished some way behind with 202 points.
PSA's Peugeot 308 was at the bottom of the list of seven short-listed contenders, behind the Kia Cee'd, the Nissan Qashqai and Mercedes' C-Class.
Each jurist must submit reasons for their allocation of votes. Most comments in favour of the 500 focused on the car's quirky retro design. They also praised its build quality and nimble handling around town.
Fiat last won the title in 2004 for its Panda city car - upon which the new 500 is based - and has now won the European title 12 times, starting in 1967 with the 124. Last year's winner was the Ford S-Max people carrier.
