Hyundai Tucson Wins 'Turkey Car of the Year' Award

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Hyundai Motor Company's sports utility vehicle (SUV) Tucson has been selected as the 'Turkey Car of the Year' by the Turkish Automotive Journalists Association (OGD).

The 'Turkey Car of the Year' award ceremony held on the 8th involved 64 automotive journalists affiliated with the Turkish Automotive Association as judges. Among 38 candidate vehicles worldwide, evaluations were conducted on 7 finalists.

The evaluation criteria included ▲design ▲driving performance ▲ergonomics ▲fuel efficiency ▲carbon emissions ▲safety features ▲convenience specifications ▲price. Hyundai Tucson received a total of 3,710 points from the judges, overwhelmingly surpassing the second-place Honda Civic (2,980 points) to be selected as the 'Turkey Car of the Year.'

The scores of the finalists were ▲Opel Mokka (2,790 points) ▲Nissan Qashqai (2,080 points) ▲Mercedes-Benz C-Class (1,980 points) ▲Renault Taliant (1,470 points) ▲Citro?n C4 (990 points).

A representative from the Turkish Automotive Association explained, "Tucson scored highly in various tests including design, performance, ride comfort, safety, and price-performance ratio," adding, "It dominated other competing models that reached the finals with its high product competitiveness."

A Hyundai Motor Company representative said, "The selection of the compact SUV Tucson as Turkey Car of the Year once again confirmed its popularity," and added, "With Tucson's bold design, customized technology, and cutting-edge safety features, it will be the best vehicle for European customers."

With this award, Hyundai Motor Company set a record of winning twice at the 'Turkey Car of the Year' awards, which has been held seven times, following the 2018 Ioniq Hybrid.

Meanwhile, since its launch in 2004, Tucson has sold 1.4 million units in the European market and reached 7 million units in global sales. According to European automotive industry analysis firm Jato Dynamics, Tucson recorded 15,806 new registrations in the first quarter of this year across 27 European countries, ranking first in sales in the compact SUV segment.

This year, Tucson received favorable reviews in Europe, including being named 'Best Imported Mid-size Car' by Germany's Auto Bild and selected as a practical family SUV at the UK's What Car Awards.

Additionally, it was selected as 'Canada Utility Vehicle of the Year' and earned the Safety Pick Plus rating in crash evaluations announced by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.