2007 Concept Vehicle of the Year Award Goes To…

The 2007 North American Specialty Concept Vehicle of the Year was given to the Chevrolet Volt concept car. It also won the Most Significant Concept Vehicle of the Year while the Holden EFIJY was awarded the 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year. The celebrated event took place at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn.

The South East Automotive Media Organization or SEAMO have organized the sixth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards. The committee recognizes the vehicles that virtually demonstrate the face of the future and the future of the auto industry. In behalf of GM, Bob Boniface, the director for the GM Advanced design, received the award for the Chevrolet Volt Concept.

"We appreciate this recognition from such a prestigious group of automotive journalists," said Boniface. "The Volt is an important vehicle for GM and for the world. Whether your concern is energy security, CO2 emissions or reducing our dependence on oil, it all leads to energy diversity. GM wants to be a part of the solution, that's why we designed the Chevrolet Volt concept."

There were 33 concept vehicles and 11 production preview vehicles that had their North American debut, and from these cars, the winners were selected by a jury consisting of professional automotive journalists. We were all familiar with the Chevrolet Volt when it was unveiled at the Shanghai auto show as an electric battery-powered vehicle.

Meanwhile, the EFIJY is the wild hot rod concept of Holden that first appeared in North America in January. EFIJY is a sweeping conventional coupe that comes with a shape showing off the traits of a V8 Supercar. Cue Design displays the iconic 1953 FJ Holden. History was once again repeated! Other nominees from GM included the Chevrolet Beat, Chevrolet Groove, Chevrolet T2X, Chevrolet Trax, Chevrolet WTCC, Saturn Vue Plug-In Hybrid, and the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible.

"It is particularly gratifying for the car to be recognised in this way in the US which is historically the home of flamboyant automotive design," Ferlazzo said. "It's nice to know that there is still a place in the concept car arena for a purely expressive design."