DETROIT — Audi's new flagship, the 2011 A8 sedan, was rewarded with the EyesOn Design Award for best production vehicle debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, and the GMC Granite — which, if built, would be the automaker's smallest SUV — got the honor for best concept. The prizes were handed out on Tuesday.
Audi's R8 V10, along with the BMW Z4, won in the production category last year, and the A7 Sportback Concept, along with the Cadillac Converj Concept, won the concept prize for 2009. The A8 was first seen in Miami in November, but the Detroit show was its official global debut. It goes on sale this fall in the U.S. GM's "urban-industrial design aesthetic" Granite has not officially been announced for future production.
Finalists for the 2010 production award had been the Bentley Mulsanne, Fiat 500, Ford Focus and Lincoln MKX. The finalists for the concept prize were the Nissan Mixim, Revenge Verde Supercar and Audi E-tron.
Jurors for the EyesOn Design awards are taken from the ranks of automotive and industrial designers. Head judges this year were Harley-Davidson chief styling officer Willie G. Davidson, retired Ford global vice president of design Jack Telnack, and Tom Matano, executive director of industrial design at Academy of Art University of San Francisco.
The awards are sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology, which also hosts the annual EyesOn Design auto exhibition at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford estate in the Detroit area.
Inside Line says: Colorful pair of laureates. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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nutsaboutcars says:
06:01 AM, 01/14/2010
Audi is known for sexy styling and best interiors but they are also known for being noisy and having to hard of a suspension,,,I had a Audi A6 Avant wagon and it was nothing but a noise maker,,The v6 engine idled like a broken down lawn mower and the suspension was just punishing on anything but super perfect roads,,I swore to myself that unless Audi improves on the suspension and unrefined engines I would never buy another one but I will test drive the new a8 when its avail to do so
gordancin says:
08:26 PM, 01/13/2010
They better hurry up and get that "Granite" to market. Clean up the design, make sure it's light enough, fuel efficient, keeps the flexible storage and is major fun to drive. If we could have it next summer that would be good but winter/spring 2011 would be good.
Are they paying attention? The award must have given them some type of encouragement, no?
hokiehigh says:
08:02 PM, 01/13/2010
Holy grill on the A8, headlights look mean