CELICA SUPRA AWARDED 1982 "GOLDEN STEERING WHEEL PRIZE"
BY LARGEST WEST GERMAN SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

Toyota's specialty car, the Celica Supra (the export version of the Celica XX), was awarded the Golden Steering Wheel (Goldenes Lenkrad) prize for 1982, by Bild am Sonntag, West Germany's largest Sunday paper (circulation of 3 million). The Supra is the first Japanese car so honored.

This prize is given to the best cars, in each of three price groups, which were marketed in West Germany during 1982. Judgement criteria include design, driveability, economy and riding comfort. The Celica Supra was named the best car in Class I (for cars costing 30,000DM or more).

The judging panel comprised 21 persons, including famous auto critics, racers and rally drivers from West Germany, Europe and America. A total of 1155 points could be awarded to a car in seven evaluation categories, and the cars that received the highest totals were named the winners.

The Celica Supra had the highest scores in four of the seven evaluation categories in Class I, and a total of 916 points, leading second-place Volvo (760GLE Turbo Diesel) by 77 points.

The winner in Class II (15,000 to 29,999DM) was the Audi 100, and in class III (14,999DM or less), the Opel Corsa, both West German makes. The fact that the Celica Supra was named the best in the highest-priced group in West Germany, whose technological standard is one of the world's highest, underscores the growing superiority of Toyota and Japanese cars.