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The Aston Martin Rapide and the Cadillac Converj have been named the best cars of 2009 by car designers.
The two cars won Best Production and Best Concept categories respectively of the Car Design of the Year Awards, which are chosen by readers of the website.
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Accepting the award for the beautiful Rapide sedan, Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman thanked the designers who voted for the vehicle "on behalf of a team that is very passionate about the brand".
The Rapide narrowly edged out the Ferrari 458 Italia to first place in the production category.
Jaguar's XJ came in third place, ahead of the Vauxhall Astra and VW Polo, which tied the limited production Lexus LFA supercar design for fifth place.
Of the ten cars on the shortlist, the Porsche Panamera was the least favourite among the designers who voted.
The Cadillac Converj concept was by GM's Advanced Design Studio in Europe under then Design Director Simon Cox.
Accepting the award, Malcolm Ward, Exterior Chief Designer for mid-size cars at GM Europe, emphasised the global nature of today’s design teams by being “very proud to receive this on behalf of the team and I know the team in Detroit are also very proud to receive it".
The Converj concept introduced a cab-forward stance and softened Cadillac's angular design aesthetic, while the interior featured environmentally sustainable and renewable materials.
The Converj had a narrow lead over the Infiniti Essence concept, while the Citroën Revolte and Volvo S60 show cars tied for third place ahead of the Nissan Juke's prototype precursor, the Qazana, and the Volkswagen L1.