Want to see who designs the best products? Look no further than the Red Dot awards. Every year the European organization identifies what it determines to be the best designs on the market – and that includes automotive design.
The committee has released its list for 2018 and it’s awarded top honors to the Ferrari Portofino, McLaren 720S and Kia Stinger.
Each earned the honor of being counted among the “Best of the Best”, but they’re not the only new cars the jury has noticed this year. Along with them, Kia won additional Red Dot awards for the Picanto and Stonic and Ferrari won the same for its 812 Superfast and FXX K Evo.
BMW was recognized for the 6-Series GT, X2 and i3, Hyundai for the Kona and Nexo FCEV and Volkswagen was singled out for the T-Roc and Polo. Further Red Dots were slapped on the Skoda Karoq, Seat Arona, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Nissan Leaf and Volvo XC40.
The 2018 awards mark a particular accomplishment for Kia. Not only did it take two Red Dots, but its Stinger sports sedan was recognized alongside six-figure supercars. Combine those with the two earned by Hyundai, and the Korean group emerges with some of the best designs on the road.
Nice work by Ferrari, too, especially considering how small its exotic lineup is. And between its various brands, Volkswagen took home four awards – though not a single one from any of the more upscale brands under its vast umbrella. Also noticeably absent from the list are major automakers like Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Mercedes-Benz. But there’s always next year.
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