Pipped at the post

OPEL’S Insignia has edged out the favoured Ford Fiesta by the narrowest of margins to win the 2009 European Car of the Year.

Only one point separated the two, with the 59 motoring journalists from 23 European countries awarding General Motors’ Vectra replacement – which is under consideration for sale in Australia – a total of 321 points.

This is the second time this decade that a Ford has been pipped to the post as the Alfa Romeo 147 beat the previous generation Mondeo by the same margin in 2001.

Left: Volkswagen Golf VI and Ford Fiesta.

The new Volkswagen Golf came in third with 223 points, followed by the Citroen C5 (198), Alfa Romeo MiTo (148), Skoda Superb (144) and Renault Megane III (121).

Previous European COTY winners include the Fiat 500 (2007), Ford S-Max (2006), Toyota Prius (2005), Toyota Yaris/Echo (2000) and Ford Focus (1999).

The last time a GM product won the award was in 1987 with the first-generation Opel Omega – the stylistic influence of the 1988 Holden VN Commodore.