Autocar award winners 2008

The winners of this year’s Autocar Awards have been announced at a ceremony in the Royal Horticultural Halls in London. From a revolutionary electric family car to McLaren's F1 triumph, it's been quite a year for the car business. Autocar recognises and rewards the high achievers of 2008.

Design award: Ford Fiesta

The new Fiesta is the best example yet of Ford’s ‘Kinetic Design’ principles. It’s also proof that it’s possible to combine striking looks with the need to meet increasingly stringent pedestrian crash protection standards. The Fiesta is smart, well finished and thoroughly modern, both inside and out, with the design clearly referencing Ford’s past, while looking towards the future. Read our road test of the Ford Fiesta

Motorsport award: Ron Dennis

Many people would have been daunted by McLaren’s difficult 2007 season in the Formula One championship. Not Ron Dennis, the team’s CEO. He answered his critics by leading the team to one of the most spectacular successes in its long history; Lewis Hamilton’s last-lap triumph in the drivers’ championship. Dennis plans to spend more time on wider McLaren group business, giving him a chance to take a step back and celebrate the remarkable achievements of a unique character.Read Alan Henry’s blog on the dramatic 2008 season finale

Concept Car of the year: Citroen Hypnos

The undoubted star of the recent Paris motor show, the Hypnos marks Citroen’s rediscovery of the design magic and originality that helped to define the brand. The best news is that the Hypnos is close to reality, using a hybrid drivetrain that links a 200bhp diesel engine driving the front wheels to an electrically turned back axle. And the Hypnos’s avant-garde cabin suggests the quest for more adventurous production interiors has already started.Read more about the Citroen Hypnos

Safety and Technology Award: Chevrolet Volt

Even within the last two years, electric cars were regarded as little more than a curiosity. The very fact that General Motors has bet its corporate future on the successful development of the Volt proves that electric drivetrain technology has developed apace. The Volt’s innovative powertrain combines battery power with an engine that acts as an on-board generator. GM claims the equivalent of 176mpg and CO2 emissions of just 40g/km.Read more details on the Chevrolet Volt

Idea of the year: Gordon Murray’s T25

Gordon Murray’s attempt to revolutionise personal transportation might turn out to be the idea of the decade rather than just the year. His plan is to make a far more efficient range of cars than anything currently on the market, with a whole range of tiny but spacious cars constructed using new methods that will slash steel-stamping and tooling costs. It’s the sort of fresh thinking you’d expect from the man who gave the world the McLaren F1 – and just the sort of thing the motor industry needs.Read more about Gordon Murray’s T25