At an award ceremony during the Guangzhou Auto Show, hosted by PRIME Research and Automobil Produktion, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was declared the 2014 China Car of the Year.

 President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz China Nicholas Speeks accepted the award, and noted that “the decision reaffirms the model’s stature and position in China, its top market worldwide.”

The S-Class is the first model to win the China Car of the Year title. Among the hopefuls were 53 models. The three finalists were the Land Rover Range Rover, the Chang’an Ford Mondeo, and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The Porsche 918 Spyder received the China Performance Car of the Year title, and a second Porsche modle, the Panamera E-Hybrid, received the China Green Car of the Year title. The Chang’an PSA DS5 received the China Car of the Year Design Award.

To be eligible for the China Car of the Year awards, models had to be available for sale in China during the period beginning Oct. 1, 2012,  ending Sept. 30, 2013.

Vehicles were selected and voted on by a juror panel comprised of 10 automotive editors-in-chief from 10 different Chinese car magazines. Each juror was appointed by the C-Club on the basis of their expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drove and evaluated new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work.