German readers of the long-running Auto Motor und Sport magazine, have voted the Alfa Romeo 147 and 156 the best models in their respective categories.

In ringing endorsement for the sporty Italian marque, the freshly facelifted Alfa Romeo 147 comfortably won the award for 'Best Imported Car in C-segment' with no less than 28.8 percent of the vote, while the Alfa 156 came out in top in the hotly-contested vote for 'Best Imported Car in D-Segment, with 13.6 percent.

Auto Motor und Sport is one of Germany's longest running and most respected automotive publications, and with 108,000 readers voting in what is now the 29th year of these awards, it is a rousing endorsement of Alfa Romeo's products.

For the long-running Alfa 156, which will in fact now be replaced in just a matter of months, the vote is ample demonstration that in the German car buyer's opinion it is still every bit as stunning and desirable as the day it first appeared. The Alfa 156 had started its life in the late 1990's  winning the most coveted award of all, European 'Car of the Year', and its eagerly anticipated replacement, dubbed the Alfa 159, will have a very hard act to follow when it arrives in the showrooms this summer, although all the signs are that Alfa Romeo have another winner on their hands.

Meanwhile, with over a quarter of all the votes cast in its category, the new Alfa 147 has clearly once again captured the attention of the German audience. The new Alfa 147, itself also a former winner of the 'European Car of the Year' award, arrived to much acclaim during last September's Paris Mondial de l'Automobile.

Giving the gorgeous and popular hatchback a tougher, more grown up appearance has worked well, taking the appealing car out to a wider new audience as it now enters the second half of its life.
 

Bigger and chunkier bumpers, larger headlights and subtle changes at the rear, have been combined with improvements to the comfort of the ride, and superb new interiors. We tested the new Alfa 147 last month and came away just as impressed as the day we first saw it.

All in all it is a ringing endorsement for two underrated cars, that boast a style, panache, and sheer driving pleasure that their many dull rivals can only dream of matching. These were the two models that launched Alfa Romeo into the 21st Century, and they will rightfully take their place in the glorious long history of the Milanese marque.

The award ceremony took place this week in Stuttgart, and elsewhere, the award for 'Best Imported Car' in A-segment went to the MINI, in B-segment it went to the Peugeot 206, in E-segment it was claimed by the Jaguar S-Type, and in the luxurious F-segment, by the Maserati Quattroporte. In the home-grown categories Audi models swept the board. After the VW's ever-popular Polo claimed the A-segment honours, the Audi A3, A4, A6 and A8 all triumphed in their respective categories.

Meanwhile, the Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo and Ferrari F430 claimed the 'Best German Sportscar' and 'Best Imported Sportscar' awards respectively, the Mercedes-Benz SL and Aston Martin DB9 Volante came out on top in 'Sports Convertible' category, while the VW Touareg and Range Rover wrapped up the SUV vote. Also of note was that the downright ugly Chris Bangle-styled, domestic-built, BMWs were given a massive thumbs down, failing to win any one of the nineteen categories on offer.