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TORONTO, Canada - February 16, 2005

The Audi A6 sedan emerged from a field of 36 competitors to claim the inaugural World Car of the Year award at a ceremony held here today, during the media preview for the Canadian International Auto Show.

"The concept of national borders is now almost non-existent in terms of where vehicles and their components are designed, engineered, developed, and built ... or where they are sold," said British automotive journalist, Graham Johnson, who is co-chair of the award program.

"Considering the ever-increasing globalization of the automotive industry," he added, "the concept of a World Car of the Year award program was inevitable ... it is truly an idea whose time has come."

The stated purpose of the award is to recognize and reward automotive excellence on a global scale, and to make consumers aware of that recognition.

In accepting the World Car of the Year award for 2005, Johan de Nysschen, Executive Vice-President of Audi of America Inc., said "We are delighted to be the first-time recipients of such a prestigious award".

"World Car of the Year is a program initiated by, organized by, and conducted by automotive journalists from around the globe," explained Co-chair Gerry Malloy, from Canada. It is administered by a non-profit corporation, which is guided by a steering committee of journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America.

"From the outset, those of us involved in the program have had one over-riding priority," Malloy said. "We are dedicated to ensuring that it is carried out with the utmost objectivity, credibility, and integrity."

By design, World Car of the Year has no affiliation with, nor is it in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

A jury of 48 experienced automotive journalists from 21 countries individually reviewed, evaluated, and voted on the 36 eligible vehicles, by secret ballot, in two separate rounds of voting. To be eligible for consideration for the inaugural World Car of the Year award, a vehicle must have been available for purchase in at least five countries on at least two continents, prior to January 1, 2005.

"The voting was far more than just a popularity contest," Malloy said. Initially, jurors assessed the cars on the basis of 20 separate parameters, ranging from styling and comfort to performance and fuel economy, to develop a short-list of ten finalists.

For their final selection, they rated those finalists on five key areas of importance to potential customers: Merit, Value, Safety and Environmental Responsibility, Significance, and Wow Factor! - the car's emotional appeal. Those secret ballots were collected and tabulated by the international accounting firm, KPMG.

The Audi A6 edged out the Volvo S40/V50 and Porsche 911 in a close race for the overall award.

Detailed results and additional information concerning the World Car of the Year program can be found on the internet at www.wcoty.com. In addition, photos of the winner and the press conference are available in both high and low resolution.

The World Car of the Year Association is grateful to Pirelli Tire Inc for supporting today's award ceremony, and to the Canadian International Auto Show for providing the venue.

For more information about the WCOTY, please visit our web site at www.wcoty.com or e-mail or call Beth Xenarios, Executive Manager, at beth@wcoty.com, 1-905-342-2220.

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From an initial entry list of thirty-six (36) new vehicles, from all over the world, a short list of ten finalists for the inaugural World Car of the Year award was released here today.

The 2005 World Car of the Year will be selected from the following finalists:

* Audi A6

* BMW 1-Series

* Chevrolet Corvette C6

* Chrysler 300C

* Ford Focus (excluding North-American version)

* Land Rover LR3/Discovery III

* Mercedes-Benz A-Class

* Mercedes-Benz SLK

* Porsche 911

* Volvo S40

A jury of 48 international automotive journalists voted on the finalists based on their experience with all the entrants. The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, as well as other parts of the world.

The jury's next step is to re-evaluate the "Top Ten" vehicles, in preparation for a final round of voting on January 20th. They will specifically rate each vehicle in terms of overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, and significance. The international accounting firm of KPMG will tabulate the vote results and the top three finalists will be announced on February 1, 2005.

The inaugural World Car of the Year will be declared on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 during a press conference held at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Canada.

The World Car of the Year program is administered as a non-profit corporation with a Steering Committee of six journalist members who oversee and monitor the integrity of the voting process, the jury members, and the operation of program.

WCOTY is intended to complement, not compete with, existing COTY awards by raising consumer awareness of regional Car of the Year award programs as well as the World Car of the Year.

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