THE FUTURE OF MOTORING … ARRIVES

FOSSIL CARS CHALLENGED – ELECTRIC DREAMS NOW THE REAL DEAL

The future of motoring is not only changing – the future has arrived. Two fully electric cars have emerged as serious contenders for Australia’s top motoring award, WHEELS , which will be announced in January 2015.

But rather than being a feel-good curiosity, or a fuel efficiency boast, the new wave of electric cars are simply outstanding motor vehicles, and worthy competitors for the longest running new car award in the world (now in its 52nd year).

“The choice facing consumers in the market for a new car has changed,” notes Wheels editor, Glenn Butler. "The latest versions of the Electric Dream are, quite simply, the real deal."

“It’s not a matter of making a decision for the environment or even your hip pocket, over the car you have your heart set on. These new vehicles are matching their fossil- powered rivals, pound for pound. They’re great cars and they’re desirable.

“It’s no longer a statement purchase. It’s a purchase that can be based purely on economic performance. Coming off a tough year for the local industry, we’re seeing a seismic shift from the past to the future. It changes everything.”

WHEELS CAR OF THE YEAR – THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

21 new cars are in contention for the 2014 WHEELS COTY. The cars are not tested against each other. An expert judging panel with close to 150 years combined experience rigorously tests the vehicles against five established criteria: 1) Function 2) Technology 3) Efficiency 4) Safety 5) Value.

This year no Australian-made cars were eligible for the nation’s top motoring award. , Ford and have failed to produce a genuinely new contender, as their local operations wind down.

Contenders include the new 2 and exciting Mini Hatch. Top end tastes are covered by the opulent Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and fans of performance cars will be keen to see how BMW's bahn-storming M4 coupe performs. The Peugeot 308 is also among the field, as is the WRX, the Skoda Octavia and Porsche Macan.

The field also includes two fully electric vehicles. BMW’s low-to-zero emission i3, along with the all-American Tesla Model S (which has arguably come into existence through the success of online payment system PayPal, with co-founder Elon Musk heading Tesla’s push into mass-market scale, and mainstream consideration).

The WHEELS CAR OF THE YEAR winner will be announced at a special function in Melbourne, on the evening of Wednesday January 21.

INTERVIEWS:

WHEELS editor Glenn Butler can be reached on 0412 416 896, 03-9567 4270, or [email protected]