The Lexus LS460 recently claimed top honours at the third World Car of the Year event, defeating the likes of the svelte new Audi TT and the Mini.

The flagship Lexus model was chosen by a panel of 45 journalist-judges from around the world - including the sole South African representative, CAR Magazine's Hannes Oosthuizen. The judges had to deliberate between 28 other models ranging from Asian compact offerings to large European sports cars.

The World Car of the Year assessment process considered the requirements of consumers the world over and began with individual jurors evaluating and rating the contestants against a variety of standardised categories. Such attributes as styling, build quality, safety and performance were assessed to form a top ten shortlist in January.

The World Car of the Year, which was announced at the New York Show, was then chosen from these finalists as tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

The LS460 impressed the panel of judges with such world firsts as its automatic parking system and 8-speed automatic transmission as well as its peerless build quality and capable performance.

Upon accepting the award, Lexus group vice president and general manager Bob Carter said, "Our intention, internally, was to develop the most innovative, luxurious car we could produce… The response to the LS460 by our customers and awards such as this go a long way towards realizing our goal." "

The top three contenders for the third annual World Car of the Year in addition to the Lexus LS460 were the new Audi TT and the Mini.

The event also saw three other trophies handed out. The Mercedes E320 Bluetec diesel beat the BMW Hydrogen7 and Volkwagen's Polo BlueMotion diesel to claim the top spot in the World Green Car category.

Although the new TT was bested in the World Car of the Year category, it overcame the challenge of the Citroën C4 Picasso and Fiat Grande Punto to win the World Car Design of the Year poll.

The Ingolstadt company also took top honours in the World Performance Car category with the Audi RS4 - a huge achievement, bearing in mind that the competition comprised of such performance gems as the BMW 335i and Porsche 911 Turbo.

Meanwhile, the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists recently named Honda's Civic 1,8 VXi the 2007 Car of the Year.

The 2006 North American Car of the Year winner defeated competition in the form of the Alfa Romeo 159 2,2 JTS, Toyota Avensis 2,2 D-4D Exclusive, Hyundai Accent 1,6 GLS HS, Lexus IS250, Ford Focus ST 3-dr, Opel Astra GTC 1,9 CDTi and Renault Clio 1,6 Dynamique 5-dr to hand Honda South Africa its first Car of the Year title.

"We are extremely honoured the Civic has been singled out for the SA Car of the Year Award 2007," Honda SA managing director Hiroaki Shibata said. "We have endeavoured to provide the South African customer with an exceptional value-for-money package and we're thrilled the Guild has recognised our efforts."

"The Civic saloon offers a complete all-round driving experience with a perfect balance of driving dynamics, ergonomics and modern styling aesthetics, combined with class leading refinement and build quality," Honda SA general manager of sales and marketing Graham Eagle added.