Pawan Kumar
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At the Brussels auto show this week, the Jeep Avenger electric SUV was named the European Car of the Year. Autocar says that a group of 57 top car writers from 23 countries voted on this year’s winner, and the Jeep Avenger got 328 points, which was the most. The Volkswagen ID. Buzz came in second with 241 points, and the Nissan Ariya came in third with 211 points. The Renault Austral came in fifth with 163 points, and the Kia Niro came in fourth with 200 points. The Peugeot 408, with 149 points, and the Subaru Solterra/Toyota bZ4X, with 133 points, were the last two cars on the list of seven finalists.
The European Car of the Year award was started in 1964, so this year is its 60th anniversary. The Rover 2000 was the first winner. I really, really wanted a Rover 2000 because it had a really cool ice alert system with a sensor on the front bumper. Autocar is one of nine automotive magazines in Europe that support the COTY award.
This year, Russian journalists were not welcome, so there were only 57 people on the jury instead of 61 in 2020. Each member of the jury has 25 points to give out, and they can’t give more than 10 points to any one car. Each judge has to give points to at least five different cars. The most important things to think about are technical innovation and value for money.
In a recent article, my colleague Maarten Vinkhuyzen criticised the COTY process, saying, “Only three of the seven cars that were looked at can be called models of modern architecture car technology. Based on this technology, there are two models: one with tailpipes and one that runs on batteries. The last two are just old ways of doing things. This is more than a decade after it was shown that the new technology was better, and even after regulators and many OEMs said that fossil fuel burners were an old technology that should be thrown out as soon as possible.
“Any model with a tailpipe should be thrown out because it uses technology from the past. The Peugeot 408 and the Renault Austral would be taken off the list. Only the BEV versions of the Jeep Avenger and Kia Niro should be used to judge them. Using an old shared platform isn’t really innovative technology; it’s just old technology that has been improved to bridge the time until new technology can be made.
Maarten calls himself a “grumpy old man.” He asked me to write this story because he is currently in Brussels looking for more things to review this year. I was chosen because I am a member of the same fraternity. I hope I did a good job of expressing his slightly muted outrage at how silly the COTY process is.
Our first electric SUV is charging up the 4xe circuit — Congrats to the Jeep® Avenger for taking home European Car of the Year! #BrusselsMotorShow 🏆
The Avenger will be exclusively available in Europe in 2023, and is the next step on our journey towards Zero Emission Freedom. pic.twitter.com/Drp4sGkrvA— Jeep (@Jeep) January 13, 2023
Still, I think the Jeep Avenger is an electric car that stays true to the Jeep brand. It’s a nice-looking car, especially with the yellow paint job Stellantis gave it, and I think it could be a huge hit in the US. The parent company has decided not to sell it in the US for its own reasons, probably because it isn’t 24 feet long and doesn’t weigh 9000 pounds. That’s too bad, because if I were looking for an electric SUV, the Jeep Avenger would be on my list—but only if it was yellow.
In other news about electric cars from Europe today, the head of research and development for the Volkswagen Brand, Kai Gruenitz, spoke to a large group of auto journalists. Autocar was there, and they say he told them more about how the company will grow the ID. Buzz range goes beyond the first MPV with five seats and Cargo van.
He said, “The GTX will be a cool high-performance version with 250 kW/335 bhp, a separate interior, new colours on the outside, and some extra features.” It will use the same dual-motor, four-wheel drive system as other Volkswagen ID EVs, like the Volkswagen ID 7 saloon from 2023. He also said that the company is thinking about making an ID with four-wheel drive that isn’t a GTX. Buzz.
Gruenitz also said that the 5-passenger model of the ID Buzz, which is based on a commercial van, won’t have as many seating options as the model with a long wheelbase that will be available this summer. This model only has a standard three-person bench that splits in half and can’t be taken out. The long wheelbase version will be 25 cm longer and have seven seats than the regular car. Gruenitz said, “There will be three rows and seven seats, and you can take them all out of the back.” “The captain’s chairs will also be able to turn around.”
Gruenitz said, when asked about the progress of the California version, “There will be a camper version. The first concept is being worked on now. It’s interesting to see what’s possible, what would be cool and useful, and what’s not. Autocar says that the camper should come out sometime in 2025.
In a press release this week, Volkswagen extolled the virtues of the ID. Buzz, which saw 10,800 units built in 2022. Lars Krause of Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles division said, “Our ID. Buzz made a real BUZZ in 2022, not just here but all over the world.” “We are very happy that our first all-electric Bulli has been released in Hannover. Now, our task is to further ramp up production of all models and to deliver the vehicles to our customers and fans. In the last few months, we’ve already been able to do this, and since September, we’ve been able to make a lot more deliveries to customers. We sent out 30% more cars in November and December than we did in the same months last year.”
The ID. Buzz helped lift sales for the commercial vehicles division in Germany at a time when the overall market for new vehicles in the country was suffering a decline in sales. “Mathias Busse’s sales team in Germany did everything right last year! Together with the dealers and working closely with our production teams, we delivered a lot of units and set a new record for sales,” Krause said.
“Fans of the old hippie bus have been waiting a long time for the ID.Buzz. It brings back memories and is a good value for the money.” Maarten Vinkhuyzen says. Just because of that, it should do well.
