The new Alfa MiTo wasn't able to make it back-to-back wins for Fiat Group Automobiles in the Car of the Year 2009 awards as the results were announced this morning; in the end it had to settle for fifth slot after collecting 148 points.

The new Alfa MiTo wasn't able to make it back-to-back wins for Fiat Group Automobiles in the Car of the Year 2009 awards as the results were announced this morning; in the end the stylish new Alfa Romeo coupé had to settle for fifth position in the final rankings after collecting 148 points from the jurors. Instead, after the very closest of contests, the new Opel/Vauxhall Insignia emerged victorious as Car of the Year 2009 collecting 321 points against the 320 points amassed by the new Ford Fiesta. The latest incarnation of the Volkswagen Golf took a distant third place, with 223 points.

The Car of the Year 2009 entries had already been whittled down to a shortlist of seven, and the final points positions announced earlier today were as follows: 1st Vauxhall Insignia (321 points), 2nd Ford Fiesta (320 points), 3rd VW Golf (223 points), 4th Citroën C5 (198 points), 5th Alfa Romeo MiTo (148 points), 6th Skoda Superb (144 points) and  7th Renault Megane (121 points).

The Insignia is the first Opel to win in 22 years but General Motors’ European company has been runner-up four times – and in 2007 the Opel Corsa lost by just two points to the Ford S-Max. Ford has won the award five times but this is the second occasion it has lost by one point. This year’s narrow victory emphasizes the high level of this year’s competition, which has 37 initial candidates and seven finalists. Of the 59 Car of the Year jurors representing 23 European countries, 20 gave the Insignia top points, while 19 put the Fiesta in first place.

The Car of the Year is an international award, judged by a panel of senior motoring journalists across Europe. Its object is to acclaim the most outstanding new car to go on sale in the 12 months preceding the date of the title. The jury consists of 58 members, representing 22 European countries. National representation on the Jury is related to the size of the country's car market and its importance in car manufacturing. France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain each have six members; other countries, proportionally fewer. Members of the Jury are elected for their personal competence, and not because of the importance of the publications they may represent. New members join the Jury at the invitation of the Jury Committee, following recommendations from regional groups. Each year, every member is required to confirm that car testing is a major part of his or her professional activity.