AutoWeek Editors Honor the Best of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show

DETROIT--March 3, 2011: The AutoWeek editorial staff presented Lamborghini with the 2011 AutoWeek Editors' Choice Award for Best in Show this morning at the Geneva motor show. The Aventador LP700-4 follows a familiar Lamborghini script--head-turning styling combined with neck-snapping performance.

“A Ferrari that opens a new era”

For more than 20 years, AutoWeek editors have walked the show floors in Detroit, Geneva, Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo, selecting winners in four categories: Best in Show, Best Concept, Most Significant and Most Fun.

The 2011 AutoWeek Editors' Choice Award winners for the best of the motor show in Geneva are:

BEST IN SHOW: Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
There was a lot of discussion among the AutoWeek editors about which category this car should win, but there was never any question that it should win something. With its revolutionary, lightweight carbon-fiber chassis aimed at improving the power-to-weight ratio, this car could easily have been named Most Significant. In fact, the Aventador owes its lightweight construction to the Sesto Elemento concept, our Most Significant pick at last fall's Paris show. Deliveries of the Aventador will begin in late summer, according to Lamborghini, and the car will cost $379,700 in the United States.

Others Considered: Alfa Romeo 4C Concept, Ferrari FF, BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

BEST CONCEPT: Alfa Romeo 4C
All those guys tinkering in American garages with ancient Giuliettas can now rejoice. While it was presented as a concept, Alfa chief Harald Wester immediately announced that the 200-hp, mid-engine coupe would go on sale worldwide by 2013. Wester said the car will bring us back into markets such as the United States, where we are not present today. The stylish coupe uses carbon fiber and aluminum to cut down on the weight and thus make the most of its 1.7-liter four. Expect 0 to 60 mph to come up in less than five seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. The car will be priced at about $62,000.

Others Considered: Volkswagen Bulli Microbus, Mini Rocketman, Saab PhoeniX

MOST SIGNIFICANT: Ferrari FF
By its sheer presence, the Ferrari FF absorbs everything around it. It is huge, way too big to be a Ferrari, you'd think. It is also revolutionary by the standards of the marque--from its groundbreaking all-wheel drive to comfortable seating for four and room for luggage contained within its shooting-brake styling. Yet, with 660 hp and a 0-to-60-mph time of less than 3.7 seconds, it assuredly will be every bit the race car that Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo promises. "A Ferrari that opens a new era," he said.

Others Considered: Saab PhoeniX, BMW Vision ConnectedDrive, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

MOST FUN: Volkswagen Bulli Microbus
Ten years after we were all cruelly teased, then disappointed, by the Microbus concept of 2001, Volkswagen comes back with this promising though much smaller showstopper. The VW Bulli (the name for the original VW van in Germany) offers the same mix of fun and practicality found in VW vans all the way back to the original, more than 60 years ago. True to the beloved bus of old, this concept seats five or six on the bench seats that fold down to make a bed. Production was not confirmed, but look for the Bulli in dealerships within a few years.

Others Considered: Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Mini Rocketman, Rinspeed BamBoo

The full report from AutoWeek appears in the March 21 issue of the magazine. For more information on the Editors' Choice Awards, past winners and for extensive Geneva motor show coverage, visit AutoWeek .

AutoWeek, launched in 1958, based in Detroit, Mich., and published by Crain Communications Inc., is a fortnightly magazine of consumer car news, information and insight. It's also delivered via the Internet AutoWeek and the iPad, over the radio and video airwaves and through social media. Autoweek.com includes Daily Drive, an e-mail newsletter sent to more than 100,000 registrants; Car Life, a social community, and AutoWeek TV, a daily video newscast. The AutoWeek iPhone app Car News & Reviews is the first free app built for serious enthusiasts.

NOTE:
AutoWeek editors and contributors are available for interviews to discuss the Editors' Choice Awards, the Geneva motor show and the North American auto industry.