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Hyundai i45, Audi A5 Sportback And Nissan Murano Take Australian International Design Award

The Hyundai i45, Audi A5 Sportback and the updated Nissan Murano have figured among the 42 winners in this year's Australian International Design Awards, each car taking top honours in the Automotive and Transport category.

The three winning ca


The Hyundai i45, Audi A5 Sportback and the updated Nissan Murano have figured among the 42 winners in this year's Australian International Design Awards, each car taking top honours in the Automotive and Transport category.

The three winning cars beat out the Land Rover Discovery 4, Hyundai ix35, Nissan 370Z, Mazda CX-9, Chevrolet Camaro, Peugeot 308 CC and the Audi A5 Cabriolet for the award, presented by Standards Australia.

The awards are judged over 10 days, focusing on criteria that demands products "show a considered approach to the professional design process, incorporating some level of innovation and environmentally-responsible decisions".

Of the three winners in the automotive category, the i45 presents the most audacious styling - the latest evolution of Hyundai's 'Fluidic Sculpture' styling approach.

Click to read TMR's launch review of the 2010 Hyundai i45

“With i45, we wanted to deliver a strikingly modern shape, yet accommodate the wide variety of practical needs which sedan buyers require met,” i45 designer Andre Hudson said.

“Fluidic Design is a Hyundai signature, a design language which will appear on future Hyundai volume models. It gives our range a unique and premium identity and defines Hyundai as a modern, progressive company.”

The A5 Sportback, launched in Australia earlier this year, blends the coupe lines of the A5 - originally a two-door-only range - with the versatility of a four-door layout. With frameless doors, a high beltline and wide track, the A5 Sportback cuts an impressive figure.

The addition of two extra doors and a hatch hasn't disturbed the A5's svelte styling, and in its way, it even appears to be a better-proportioned car.

The oldest of the three automotive winners is the updated Nissan Murano, launched in Australia in July last year - meaning it has only just made the cut for this year's AIDA awards.

Click to read TMR's review of the 2009 Nissan Murano Ti

With a series of gentle curves and arcs building from the front bumper and sweeping gracefully over the roof and down the tailgate, the updated Murano has a fluidic style all its own. 

“Externally, new Murano is a clear evolution of the original, but the interior is quite different. We have changed the ambience of the cabin from sports activity to club lounge comfort. It is just as roomy as before, but far more luxurious," Nissan Australia's Dan Thompson said of the updated Murano last year.

Compared to the list of finalists that didn't make the final cut, what do you think of the results for this year's AIDA automotive winners?

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