Ford Focus clinches NZ Car of the Year gong

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Stella Stocks, left, the AA’s general manager of motoring services, Simon Rutherford, Ford NZ managing director, and Greg Cassidy, Driven’s general manager digital ventures  

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The winning Ford Focus triumphed over nine rivals  

The Ford Focus has been crowned the AA Driven NZ Car of the Year 2019 during a sparkling awards ceremony in Auckland.

Judges selected the vehicle, which also won best in class for the small/compact car category, from among 10 finalists vying for the coveted prize after putting them through their paces in a rigorous road trial and at Pukekohe Park Raceway earlier this year.

Simon Rutherford, Ford New Zealand managing director, collected  the gong at the awards bash held at Shed 10 at Queens Wharf, Auckland, on December 10. 

“Who would have thought our little car would be the winner,” he says. “It’s been a tough competition and to come out on top is fantastic.”

The 10 finalists for the Car of the Year 2019 title were: BMW 3 Series, Ford Focus, Holden Acadia, Jaguar I-PACE, Mazda3, Peugeot 508, Renault Megane RS, Tesla Model 3, Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Supra. 

The Car of the Year 2018 winner was the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, which joined a roll of honour that has included the Skoda Kodiaq in 2017, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in 2016, the BMW i3 in 2015 and the Mazda 3 in 2014.