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The New Zealand Motoring Writers' Guild has chosen the FG-series Ford Falcon as its Car of the Year for 2008.
The Australian-built sedan, launched mid-year, is the first member of the long-time Falcon family to have won the award.
It was picked by most guild members as the standout vehicle in a list of nine finalists, including the Fiat 500, Honda Accord Euro, Hyundai i30, Jaguar XF, Mazda 6, Nissan X-Trail, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan.
The Herald chose the Subaru Forester as its 2008 car of the year.