With the What Car? Awards been one of the Car Industry’s most recognized awards, scooping up the car of the year is always a big deal for the auto-maker whose car picks up the award. Congratulations are in order for Volkswagen as the Volkswagen Up has been named the 2012 What Car? Car of the year.

According to What Car? Editor-in-chief Chas Hallett “The Volkswagen Up is the best car we’ve seen this year because it combines refinement, quality, space and economy. It sets new standards for the £10,000 price bracket. It feels at home in town and copes admirably on the motorway; it is the right car for the time.â€�

Two other awards were picked up by Volkswagen including the top prize in the small family car category for the Volkswagen Golf and the Safety Award for the City Emergency Braking System on the Up. This is the fourth year Volkswagen is wining the top prize in the small family car category.

Winners in other Categories Include:

CITY CAR  – Volkswagen Up 1.0 75 High Up
SUPER MINI – Audi A1 1.4 TFSI 122 Sport
SMALL FAMILY CAR – Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 122 Match 5dr
FAMILY CAR – Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCi 115 Eco Zetec S/S
ESTATE – Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec
MPV – Seat Alhambra 2.0 TDI 140 Ecomotive S
HOT HATCH РRenault M̩gane Renaultsport 250 Cup
COUPE – Audi TT 2.0 TFSI 211 Sport
OPEN TOP – Audi TT Roadster 2.0 TFSI 211 Sport>
Performance car – Porsche 911 Carrera S PDK
SUV  - BMW X3 xDrive20d SE automatic
Executive car – BMW 320d SE automatic
Luxury car – Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI Bluetec
Ultra-low-carbon – Safety Volkswagen City Emergency Braking system available on the Up
Security – MG

To check out the other cars that were considered for the 2012 Car of the Year by What Car? visit http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/contenders-for-car-of-the-year-award/260212

This is the new Mini Roadster – a second convertible for those who find the Mini Convertible a bit too pedestrian.

The new Mini Roadster is based on the Coupe, meaning a different rear deck and – with the roof folded – no more pram-like hood antics stacked on top of the boot. The rear end is pleasingly flush.

The new Roadster is the first production two-seat open-top Mini in history. It’ll be built in the UK at Plant Oxford, with sales here kicking off in spring 2012 from £18,015 for a Cooper Roadster, climbing to £24,850 for a John Cooper Works Roadster.

In between those two extremes, you can pick a Cooper S or Cooper SD. Given time, we’d expect a One and Cooper D to join the ranks.

That roof is fabric – no bulky folding hard tops here – leaving a 240-litre boot. The Roadster is unashamedly based on the Mini Coupe, stretching out to 3734mm long. While other markets are taking a manual roof, the UK is only taking the ‘semi-automatic’ hood which requires a manual unlock and then flops back electrically.

Its footprint may copy that of the ‘four-seat’ Mini Convertible, but the Roadster sits 20mm lower to the tarmac. And that windscreen is angled 13deg faster than the existing soft-top.

So is the Mini Roadster a realistic MX-5 rival?

Conceivably, yes. We already know and, mostly, love the Mini’s front-wheel drive chassis. You can spec your Roadster with a choice of engines familiar from elsewhere in Minidom. Power ranges from 120bhp in the Cooper to 208bhp in the JCW.

Similarly, pick between 118g/km emissions on the diesel or 169 on the more profligate petrol turbo.

All other regular Mini characteristics are intact. Stop-start is standard, the cabin is stock Mini and the Coupe’s pop-up spoiler will block out Plod from 50mph.

The Up! is a city car that sits below the Polo in Volkswagen’s ever-expanding range, as the replacement for the both the Fox and now-defunct Lupo. Rivals will include the Fiat 500, Hyundai i10 and Toyota Aygo.

The Up! was first seen as a concept car back in 2007. Back then, it was rear-engined and rear-wheel-drive – like the original Beetle, in fact – but Volkswagen has now shifted to a conventional front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. However, the styling and compact dimensions remain true to the original vision for a minimalist, affordable and efficient city car.

At just 3.5m long, the production Up! is a few centimetres bigger than the original concept, but still commendably compact. It uses an all-new platform that will underpin a wave of new compact VWs, Seats and Skodas.

Which engines does the Volkswagen Up! use?
The Up! uses a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which is available with two power levels: 59bhp and 74bhp. Both will be offered in eco-friendly BlueMotion form with stop-start. Exact figures have yet to be released, but VW is boasting of 67mpg and sub-100g/km CO2 emissions. As such, the Up! should be wallet as well as eco-friendly.

There is no diesel engine at present, although one is expected to be announced in due course.

What else do I need to know about the Volkswagen Up!?
Apart from being easy to park and cheap to run, the Up! will be available with some interesting options to give it a ‘premium’ feel. One neat feature is ‘maps + more’ – a removable sat nav, phone and infotainment module that sits in a dock on the dashboard.

A City Emergency Braking system similar in function to those found in Volvos and other pricier cars will also be available. Automatic braking helps mitigate or even avoid collisions and gives the Up! an additional ‘digital crumple zone’ to offset the perceived lack of protection its small size brings.

VW is even having a bit of fun with the trim levels, naming them take Up!, move Up! and high Up! according to the equipment and price.

When can I buy the Volkswagen Up!?
You’ll have to wait until early 2012 before the Up! arrives in UK showrooms.

It is expected to cost from around £8,500, although a variety of expensive options could easily add thousands to that figure.

The unique aspect of the Veloster’s design is the ‘1+2’ door configuration. That means just one door on the driver’s side, with a front and a rear door on the passenger side. The idea of this being that passengers can enter and exit via the kerb side, but the driver only needs a driver’s door.

Opinion is likely to be divided on the car’s looks. The Veloster is a little short and squat and not particularly sleek for a sports car but there are appealing elements like the interesting headlamps and decent interior space.

What engines will it use?
It is thought that the Veloster will feature petrol and diesel power, the show car used a 1.6 litre GDI engine mated to an all-new six-speed automatic gearbox.

Hyundai is claiming a relatively low 132g/km CO2 figure for the Veloster in this format, which is impressive.

When can I buy it?
It is expected that the Veloster to be available in quarter four of 2011, and estimate prices to start at around £18,000

When first revealed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year as a concept, the Zafira Tourer was thought to preview the replacement for the current Zafira model. However, Vauxhall has now confirmed it will go into production in 2012, alongside the existing model and the recently revised Meriva.

Based on the Vauxhall Insignia, the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer is 190mm longer than the standard Zafira MPV and significantly bigger in every dimension.

The Zafira’s unique selling point has always been its versatile Flex7 seating, and that is improved on further in the Tourer. Vauxhall has expanded the system, with three seperate seats for the middle row and rear bench that disappears into the boot floor when not needed. You can even upgrade the Flex7 seating that allows for the centre seat to transform into an armrest and lets you move the two outer seats closer to the middle of the car to improve the amount of elbow room.

With the third row stowed away, the Zafira Tourer offers a massive 710-litres of boot space. With all the seats folded away, the total boot capacity extends to a whopping 1,860 litres.

The overall feel of space can be enhanced with an optional panoramic windscreen, too. Other optional extras include blind spot alerts, parking assistance, adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking with distance and relative speed alerts to the vehicle in front.

The Zafira Tourer will be practical, with seven seats and a versatile interior.

What engines will the Zafira use?
Vauxhall will offer two petrol options – a 1.4-litre turbo and a basic 1.8-litre petrol. Diesels comprise three versions of Vauxhall’s CDTi 2.0-litre unit, with power outputs ranging from 110 to 165bhp.

It was the 1.4-litre turbo petrol that Vauxhall showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in the concept car, and it was also fitted with stop-start technology to reduce fuel consumption.

When can I buy one?
Despite the concept being previewed at the Geneva Motor Show, the Zafira Tourer will be formally unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show later this year, with UK sales starting early in 2012.

SEAT has followed Skoda and announced its version of the UP city car, the Mii.

Described as the perfect car for today’s urban lifestyle, SEAT say that the Mii will offer practicality, driving fun, high efficiency and innovative technology.

With prices expected to start at around £8,000, it should fall between the Skoda and Volkswagen sister cars.

The Mii is just 3.55 meters long, but like the Up and sister car, the Skoda Citigo there’s plenty of space for four and a 251 litre boot.

Not just built for the city, SEAT claim that the spacious, comfortable interior and sporty dynamics will make the Mii fun to drive on longer distances.

On the outside, the SEAT is distinguished from the Skoda and Volkswagen versions by another version of the family arrow-like nose. Move to the back of the Mii and there’s a new set of distinctive rear lights with triangular detailing.

Inside, it’s very similar to the Skoda and Volkswagen with high-backed seats, but the interior can be personalised by fitting coloured trim.

There’ll be two engines available, both three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol units, with either 59bhp or 74bhp. With the Mii Ecomotive version expected to have a Co2 figure of 97g/km.

Technology for the SEAT Mii includes the City Safety Assist system, which works by a laser sensor which recognises other vehicles in front. If the system thinks there’s the threat of an accident at speeds up to 18mph, the car will automatically apply the brakes.

The Mii will also be available with the optional SEAT Portable System, which works with a five-inch removable screen. Its many functions include a state-of-the-art navigation system, hands-free phone system with voice control and an on-board computer.

Skoda has introduced its sixth production model, the Citigo city car, which will be offered in the UK next summer in three-door and five-door versions.

Like VW’s Up, Citigo will be available in three- and five-door versions, with a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine developing 60bhp  or 75bhp.

It’s all part of the VW-Seat-Skoda New Small Family project to launch a new small car for global sale.

The new Hyundai i40 saloon has been launched at the Barcelona motor show.

Designed and engineered at Hyundai’s European R&D centre in Russelsheim, the 4740mm long Hyundai i40 four-door saloon will reach UK showrooms in early 2012, around six months after the five-door estate showcased at the recent Geneva motor show.

The SLS AMG Roadster was unveiled by Mercedes-Benz via press release on May 5, 2011.

It retains the same specifications, dimensions and drivetrain as the Coupe but is a more traditional convertible with a power folding fabric top and conventional doors.