Last throw of the CAPTION

AN OUTLAY of more than $600 million to develop a family sedan has paid off for Mitsubishi with the Mitsubishi 380 voted best large car at the 2005 Australia’s Best Cars awards.
Australia’s motoring clubs – NRMA, RACV, RACT, RACQ, RAASA, RACWA and AANT, judge Australia’s best cars. Together they represent more than 6.3 million members.
Best Cars chief judge Ernest Litera said the award was good news for the local manufacturer who had a lot at stake after having invested so much capital in the car.
The Mitsubishi 380, he said, was a ‘make-or-break’ section of the new car market and the award recognised the considerable inputs by Mitsubishi into the engineering refinement of the new car.
“It is great to see the level of commitment into Australian-built cars, as it ultimately flows on to the consumer,” he said.
Another stand-out winner was the Lexus RX330 which was awarded Australia’s Best Luxury Four Wheel Drive for the third year running.
“The Lexus RX330 has joined a rare group of vehicles that have won three Best Cars victories back to back,” Mr Litera said, describing the win as a testament to its intrinsic design, engineering and consumer appeal.
There were nine new winners in the 12 categories this year demonstrating, Mr Litera said, the health of the Australian auto market and underscoring the number, quality and choice of vehicles now available to Australian car buyers.
The other winners were:
Best Small Car – Hyundai Getz 1.6 3 door; Best Mid-Size car under $28,000 – Ford Focus CL; Best Mid-Size car over $28,000 – Honda Accord Euro; Best People Mover – Honda Odyssey Luxury; Best Sports Car Under $57,000 – VW Golf GTI; Best Sports Car over $57,000 – Mercedes CLK 350; Best Luxury Car under $57,000 – Subaru Liberty 3.0R; Best Luxury Car over $57,000 – Audi A6 TDi Quattro; Best Recreational 4WD – Ford Territory Ghia; and Best 4WD – Land Rover Discovery 3SE-TDV6.