This was the year when the UK government intervened and introduced legislation aimed at increasing competition in the car industry.
The World Car of the Year competition is open to mass-produced vehicles that are available on at least two continents.
The figures come shortly after the market for car insurance was referred to the Competition Commission for investigation.
The OFT's decision to refer the car insurance market to the Competition Commission is a provisional one.
As the experience with the car industry demonstrates, consumers benefit from competition.
FORBES: Free Trade Is The Fix For Rising Health Insurance Premiums
The Hover Car was one of three finalists in the competition, but the popularity of the campaign has led the company to extend it indefinitely.
FORBES: Volkwagen's People's Car Project Taps into the Wacky Energy of Post-Communist China
Meanwhile, the oil shock, several recessions and fierce competition from Japan scraped the shine off the American car industry.
In a brief spell as finance minister in 1994 (when he belonged to Mr Cardoso's party), Mr Gomes followed the sort of neoliberal policies he now criticises, such as cutting import tariffs to expose the local car industry to foreign competition.
But both GM and other car makers in Europe believe that the only way to fend off competition from low-cost countries, and thus retain car production in Western Europe, is to improve productivity.
BBC: NEWS | Business | GM Europe still faces major challenges
Even better, due to more competition and excess capacity in the North American car rental industry, American Express expects rates to remain unchanged in 2012.
But Neelie Kroes, the competition commissioner, rejects any comparison between the car industry and the financial sector, and has warned member countries against offering their carmakers unfair subsidies.
Chief executive Takeo Fukui announced at a news conference in Tokyo that the company would be willing to sell the team and will withdraw from the 2009 competition if no buyer is found by the end of Decemebr -- ending the Japanese car giant's nine-year involvement in the sport.
If an ERP system can help the people at Lotus make a race car go faster, maybe it can help you pull ahead of the competition to help your team win, too.
The Competition Commission is to complete its report on the car industry by the end of January.
The front-runner is Denise Kingsmill, a lawyer, who is currently deputy head of the Competition Commission and in charge of its inquiry into car prices.
The family were travelling to Butlins in Skegness where Carley Ann and Bethany were due to take part in a dance competition when their car collided with a lorry on the A18.
BBC: Tributes paid to Cockburn family killed in Laceby crash
By squeezing a little more out of their tires than the competition, they can afford to be patient, waiting out a car ahead of them.
The worry is that if Mr Byers cannot make up his mind on relatively low-key issues like milk and ice cream, how will he be able to resist the far more serious pressures that will be exerted on him over car prices and supermarkets, both currently the subject of competition inquiries?
ECONOMIST: Stephen Byers is making a mess of competition policy
Facing competition from BMW, Audi and Mercedes in the premium small-car market, Saab Chief Executive Peter Augustsson needed a new model and turned to another GM partner, Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Subaru four-wheel-drive cars. (GMowns a 20% stake in Fuji.) After months of discussions, nudged along by Lutz, the collaboration resulted in the Saab 9-2X, a sporty, high-performance wagon based on the underpinnings of Subaru's Impreza compact and its high-performance cousin, the WRX.
This was no easy task when car manufacturers are facing the end of scrappage schemes, growing competition from China and India and the increase of "Motoring Spy" Web sites, where the arrival of a new model is known by the general public at least 18 months ahead of the launch.
For the rest of us, it is of little doubt that competition from foreign owned car companies has led to higher quality and lower priced products for American consumers.
FORBES: Free Trade Is The Fix For Rising Health Insurance Premiums
The car companies briefly threatened to set up a rival motor-racing competition, but relented after Kirch promised to keep the races on free television, and not shift them to its pay channels.
Chilton finished fourth in the GP2 series, which acts as a feeder competition for F1, and showed promise in his two performances in the Marussia car, in a young driver test and in free practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In Western Europe, in particular, many car makers are struggling in their overcrowded home markets and terrified of the emerging competition with South Korea and Japan.
It will mean the loss of some historic buildings and competition with the planned States scheme to build a new financial services centre on the Esplanade Car Park.
French car manufacturer Peugeot will not cut the UK list prices for its cars, even if the Competition Commission demands it.
The commercial success of plug-in hybrids and pure electric car companies such as Tesla will help to drive innovation and competition, accelerating solutions for the range and cost issues.
In some industries, increased competition has cut unions' bargaining power: car workers, for instance, famously militant in the 1970s, are far quieter now that production can be switched to overseas factories.
Under the hood lies a 111HP motor powered by a 24 kWh battery that generates 147 pound-feet of torque -- not exactly the stump-pulling grunt of its new Yankee competition, but still plenty of power for such a small car.
ENGADGET: Fiat's 500e EV debuts at the LA Auto Show, we go eyes-on
And Volkwagen AG, one of the last mass-market car makers still earning money in the region, warned of flat operating profit compared with 2012 on intense competition this year.
应用推荐