Autoblog UK

Organisers of the Los Angeles Auto Show invited design studios based in Southern California to set out their vision for Mobile Teens in 2030 (Youthmobile 2030). Studies were drawn up by design studios at General Motors, Audi, Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Toyota. 2009 is the sixth year that this Design Challenge has been held. The winner will be announced on Press Day at the Los Angeles Auto Show, 2nd and 3rd December 2009.

Car Hero by General Motors can drive itself and is steered by mobile phone (that's if they are still around in 2030). Audi designers submitted two very bold design studies, the eSpira and the eOra, that are guided to their destination by hand movements (not a good idea for those of us who are not at our best in the mornings but nevertheless need to get to work). Nissan's V2G is an eco-friendly electrically powered car. This e-car has an aerodynamic egg shape and six wheels. In Mazda's Souga, the car's two occupants sit diagonally behind one another. According to its designers, buyers of the Souga will configure the car to suit their needs. Both Nissan and Toyota designers believe that, in 2030, vehicles travelling in the rush hour will often be joined together in groups of two or more. The Toyota's appearance can be digitally altered and tyre friction converted back into energy.

Two cars shared this year's eco prize – the Toyota Prius and the VW Blue Motion. Toyota's most fuel efficient hybrid car and Volkswagen's world-beating fuel economy car took the honours for this award, which has been in existence for only three years. The two winners beat the other finalists, the Ford Mondeo LPG, the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid and the Smart Car2Go, to the prize.

As with the supercars, the Golden Steering Wheel for MPVs was decided by readers' votes. Of the six vehicles in the frame, four were French. The Renault Scenic notched up 30.6% of over 250,000 readers' votes in 25 countries. The cars up for an award were: the Fiat Fiorino Qubo, Peugeot 3008 and 5008, Renault Kangoo Be Bob, the Scenic and the Toyota Verso.

It appears that there's always a big demand for supercars. At least, that's what you would think looking at the many newcomers in this expensive section. In the Golden Steering Wheel awards, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG beat off its ten competitors in the supercar class. The darling of the Frankfurt Motor Show garnered almost a third of the votes in a poll of readers in Europe.

Amongst the hopefuls were: the Alfa 8C Spider available in a limited production run of 500 units, the beautiful Aston Martin One-77, the hottest 911 ever, the Porsche 911 GT3, the sweet-sounding Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, the mighty 1,001bhp Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport convertible, the new Ferrari California and the Audi R8 Spyder. Other cars in search of an award were: the Japanese cult car, the Nissan GT-R, the new iconic Mercedes SLS, plus the ZR1, which heralds the start of a new era for Chevrolet and the LF-A from Toyota subsidiary, Lexus.

It's all change in the class, medium-size and above. Nothing is the way it used to be. The marketing strategies of the car manufacturers serve to mix the various classes and crossover is the new buzzword. There were seven 'crossers ' to choose from in this Golden Steering Wheel category: Audi A5 Sportback, Subaru Legacy, Seat Exeo, BMW 5 series GT, Infiniti G 37, Toyota Avensis and Mercedes E-Class. The Audi A5 Sportback clinched it. This victory for the Audi A5 Sportback represents the18th in the 34-year history of the carmaker with the four rings logo. Audi is now the most successful brand in the competition.

In the compact car category, the Vauxhall Astra was awarded a Golden Steering Wheel and thus succeeds the VW Golf VI. The Astra has overhauled its rival from Wolfsburg primarily in the areas of comfort and quality. The Astra won through this year against the following cars: the Renault Megane, Citroen C3 Picasso, Chevrolet Cruze, Skoda Yeti, Mazda 3, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Kia Soul and Nissan Cube.

The VW Polo took the Golden Steering Wheel award in the small car category. The VW Polo has been around since 1975. The mark 5 version of Volkswagen's small car was launched in 2009. The Polo is available as a 3 or 5 door hatchback saloon. In its original form, it was sparsely equipped. The Polo is now much bigger than the first model. Visually, the new Polo with its broad C-pillars suggesting sturdiness and its wide stance, takes its cues from the current VW Golf. The Polo beat off the following cars: Ford Ka, Suzuki Alto, Hyundai i20, Toyota iQ, Citroen C2 und Nissan Pixo.

We may have another six months to wait before the identity of the 2010 Car of the Year is revealed at the Detroit Auto Show, but a shortlist is already beginning to emerge. Fifty journalists from all over the world have picked out 37 likely candidates. Twelve of these are from Japan, with America and Europe contributing eleven each and the other three coming from Korea. Strangely, the Suzuki Kizashi gets a mention, even though it has not yet made its debut at any motor show. You will find some hot favourites in the gallery below. Any suggestions regarding new cars that you think have been overlooked?

The Kia Soul has won a Red Dot Design Award. This accolade from the Design Centre in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with an additional 'honourable mention', was given to the boxy small car for its particularly snazzy detailing.

With more than 11,000 submissions from 61 countries, Red Dot is the biggest design competition in the world. The products entered are judged by a panel of international experts who review and test them and also evaluate them against criteria such as their degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, longevity, ecological impact and user-friendliness. The awards ceremony will take place at the Opera House in Essen (Germany) on 29th June 2009.