French family car wins 'Car of the Year 2024' award

Khodrocar - The Renault Scenic E-Tech has scooped the prestigious award for Car of the Year 2024, beating BMW and Peugeot to the top spot with a total of 329 points. 

The winner was revealed at the opening of the Geneva Motor Show, which returned to the international arena following four years of absence. 

The French electric SUV was in competition with the BMW 5 Series and Peugeot 3008, which scooped the second and third places respectively, leaving behind the four models of BYD Seal, Kia EV9, Toyota C-HR, and Volvo EX30.

According to the votes, the Renault model was the favourite in Turkey, Hungary, France, UK, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium. 

Due to the difficulty of effectively combining the size of a family car and the power it needs to be supported by a fully electric engine, this segment of the market still has room to grow. 

The Renault Scenic E-tech has already been called a strong competitor to the Tesla Model Y in price and range, as the French brand's model offers up to 379 miles (610 km) with its most powerful electric long-range battery. The starting price in France is €39,990.

"Winning the prestigious 'The Car of the Year' award is a great source of pride for everyone at Renault Group and the Renault brand," said CEO of Renault Fabrice Cambolive in a statement. 

"This recognition demonstrates that we have made the right choices: record-breaking range, generous and inviting roominess, all with a closely managed environmental footprint! When you add in the driving pleasure and 'voiture à vivre' equipment such as the new Solarbay panoramic sunroof or the latest generation OpenR Link system with integrated Google systems, Scenic has all the right features to shore up its position on the European EV market."

The first models are expected to be delivered later this year.

Following four years of absence from the international events' calendar, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) is celebrating its 100th anniversary. 

This coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Car of the Year award which took place on the opening day of the auto salon. 

"After a long absence of four years, the Geneva International Motor Show is back", said Alexandre de Senarclens, President of the organiser Comité Permanent du Salon International de l'Automobile, a not-for-profit foundation based in Geneva. 

"We are delighted to be able to welcome again manufacturers and visitors at Palexpo with an innovative format. We embrace a dynamic and entrepreneurial rebuilding journey, and the ambition is to have the show growing year on year."

This year's event promises 15 world and European vehicle premieres, along with other events and exhibitors including the Chinese carmaker BYDand Formula 1 Merchandising.

The event will be open to the public from February 27 to March 3, 2024, at Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland.