The Fiat brand has won the coveted AUTOBEST 2008 prize with the Linea, the saloon elected by an international jury of 15 specialist journalists representing 15 emerging European countries.

After winning Car of The Year 2008 with the Fiat 500, Carro do Ano 2008 with the Fiat Grande Punto and other prestigious international awards, the Fiat brand has now brought home the coveted AUTOBEST 2008 prize with the Fiat Linea. The electors were an international jury of 15 specialist journalists representing 15 European countries containing a total of about 300 million inhabitants: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine and Hungary.

The Fiat Linea placed first with 850 points, ahead of the Kia Cee’d (784), the Mazda 2 (705), the Skoda Fabia (679) and the Toyota Auris (583). Under the terms of the AUTOBEST award, the jury selects the winner from a shortlist of 5 finalists on the basis of 13 parameters that include design, comfort, economic running, driveability, price and value for money. Each member of the jury has a total of 240 points to distribute among the 5 cars and there is a ceiling of votes for each parameter. The AUTOBEST 2008 award ceremony will take place in February in Istanbul (Turkey).

The AUTOBEST 2008 prize provides further confirmation of the acclaim with which Europe has welcomed the Fiat Linea, a three-box segment C saloon that offers original styling, functionality and driving pleasure as well as a very competitive price/content ratio.

Conceived within the orbit of Tofas A.S., the 50/50 joint-venture between Fiat Auto and Ko Holding quoted on the Istanbul Stock Exchange, the new car is manufactured in the Turkish factory of Bursa and marketed in a number of European and extra-European countries: from Spain to Germany, from Morocco to Finland. And starting next year, the Fiat Linea will also be produced and marketed in Brazil, China, Russia and India.

The new model was designed by the Fiat Style Centre and presents an elegantly dynamic external line with a distinctly Italian flavour to target an international market. Backed by an extraordinary stylistic heritage, the Fiat Linea is a gracefully elegant 4-door vehicle, that comes with generous dimensions that set it at the top of its segment: 4.56 m long, 1.73 m wide, 1.5 m tall and a wheelbase of 2.6 m, in addition to a sizeable luggage compartment of 500 litres.