WWCOTY awards Volvo XC 90 car of the Year

Women’s World Car of the Year  WWCOTY

Mr. Hakan Samuelsson, President, and CEO of Volvo Car Group were at an event in Gothenburg, Sweden to receive the prestigious Women’s World Car of the Year award for the Volvo XC90.

Seven of the twenty-two women jurors were in attendance, representing six of the seventeen countries that make up the Women’s World Car of the Year. Countries represented at the event were the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, and the USA.

Sandy Myhre, New Zealand, presented the trophy for the supreme award – a hand-carved wooden trophy depicting a curled fern frond known in her country as the koru. The sculptor was Hugh McKechnie from Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

Sue Baker, UK, presented Volvo with a certificate acknowledging the XC90 winning the supreme trophy.

Lou Ann Hammond, USA, presented the certificate for the XC90 winning the SUV-Crossover category and surprised Mr. Samuelsson with a signed bottle of her hometown California wine, grown and produced personally by the race car driver and Vintner Scott Pruett.

Volvo created an exclusive event for the visiting jury members that included a look at Volvo Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), two new Concept Cars, an insight into Volvo’s plans for the new product, color, design, safety and child safety in the C Premium Segment.

The women motoring writers also had the opportunity to discuss Volvo’s future cars with executives, including the company’s Senior Vice President, Research & Development, Peter Mertens, and were given an overview of Volvo’s autonomous self-driving program that will begin next year.

It’s the first time Volvo has hosted a press event just for women. Given the line-up of cars already earmarked for the brand’s future, Mr. Samuelsson suggested it would not be the last.

Category winners in the 2015 Women’s World Car of the Year are:

Family Car: Renault Espace
Budget Car: Scion iM/Toyota Auris
SUV Crossover: Volvo XC90
Green Car: BMW i8
Luxury Car: Mercedes S-Class
Performance Car: Mercedes GT AMG
Dream Car Category: Mazda MX-5

Women’s World Car of the Year – Judging Panel

Sandy Myhre – New Zealand – Honorary President
Marta Garcia – Spain – Executive President
Renuka Kirpalani – India
Charleen Clarke – South Africa
Regina Chan – Canada
Sue Baker – United Kingdom
Jill Mcintosh – Canada
Alicia Ryzewski – Argentina
Jacqui Madelin – New Zealand
Geraldine Herbert – Ireland
Maggie Barry – Scotland
Odiel Mennink – The Netherlands
Ylle Tampere – Estonia
Hoa Huyen – Vietnam
Sara Soria – Spain
Isabel Del Angel Negrete – Mexico
Carla Ribeiro – Portugal
Francisca Munoz Matus – Chile
Nadine Armstrong – Australia
Solveig Grewe – Germany
Anat Daniel – Israel
Liz Swanton – Australia
Ariadne Gerasimidou – Greece
Liza Maria Rojas – Columbia
Guillermina Fossati – Argentina
Petra Walter – Austria
Shereen Shabnam – Dubai
Olesya Repkina – Russia
Michelle Ferreira – Brazil
Nicole Wakelin – United States
Lou Hammond – United States
Alix Capper Murdoch – Cyprus
Ilaria Salzano – Italy
Mervi Varonen – Finland
Sabina Kvasova – Czech Republic
Etsuko Kusuda – Japan
Rita Cook – United States
Miladys Soto – Puerto Rico
Jimena Olazar – Argentina
Malene Raith – Denmark
Beatriz Nunez – Costa Rica
Melina Priam – France
Judith Hernández – Ecuador

Alicia Rywewski Argentina
Charlene Clarke South Africa
Geraldine Herbert Ireland
* Holly Reich the USA
Jacqui Madelin New Zealand
Jaedene Hudson Australia
Jil McIntosh Canada
Juliet Potter Australia
Lauren Fix the car coach USA
* LouAnn Hammond the USA
* Marta Garcia Fernandez Spain
Maggie Barry Scotland
Mebi Hoa Huyen Vietnam
* Odiel Mennink The Netherlands
Regina Chan Canada
Renuka Kirpilani India
* Sevil Okumus Turkey
* Sandy Myhre New Zealand
* Sue Baker England
Ylle Rajasaar Estonia

* Jurors in attendance in Sweden

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