Renault's third generation Clio supermini has been voted European Car of the Year 2006.
From a shortlist of seven, it emerged as the winner, just five points ahead of the Volkswagen Passat.
The Clio attracted 256 points to 251 for the Passat, 212 for the Alfa Romeo 159 and 203 for the BMW 3-series.
Voting was by a jury of 58 leading motoring journalists from 22 countries, including Ireland. They had 25 points to allocate among the seven cars, giving no more than 10 points to any one car.
It is the French manufacturer's sixth win in the prestigious award scheme inaugurated in 1964.
The outcome of the 2006 award was seen as one of the most unpredictable in years, particularly because no clear favourite emerged at any stage. The 2005 European title is held by Toyota's innovative hybrid Prius and at this time last year it won by a decisive 139 points over runner-up Citroen C4.
Some jury members felt the contenders for the 2006 title were good or merely competent but not exceptional, with no car deserving or meriting the maximum 10 points, according to Andrew Hamilton, the Irish jurist.
In spite of its 2005 win, the most disappointed manufacturer was probably Toyota, whose second generation Yaris came in last on the shortlists.
