Hyundai i40
At the 2011 EuroCarBody Conference, held near Frankfurt, Germany, the Hyundai i40 has been presented with the Golden Award, beating off nine of Europe and Japan's largest automakers.
The EuroCarBody awards, hosted by Automotive Circle International, were judged by more than 500 attending delegates including industry experts from across the world.
The Hyundai i40 was praised by judges for the comprehensive engineering and effective development of materials and the car's production efficiency and scored 37.98 out of a maximum of 50 points. Second place went to the Audi A6, which received a score of 35.86 and third place went to the Mercedes Benz B-Class with a score of 34.66.
The judging panel highlighted the Hyundai i40's use of high-strength steel and improved joints in the structure resulting in a lightweight body which has high energy absorption efficiency, providing increased safety to occupants in the event of an accident.
Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented, "Winning the EuroCarBody Golden Award demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest levels of safety for Hyundai customers. The i40 was recently awarded a maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test, and this latest award is further independent evidence that our technology is market-leading. We will continue our efforts for ever-better technology to protect passengers and improve all aspects of vehicle performance."
The Hyundai i40 available in Estate and Saloon (from next year) has been specifically designed and engineered for the European market.
