Vauxhall has pipped rival Ford to the post in the 2009 Car of the Year award, with its brand new update to the Vectra family car.
The Insignia, produced by Vauxhall and Opel, beat Ford's new Fiesta by just one point, 321 to 320.
Volkswagen's new Golf was a distant third on 220 points, and Renault's Megane was last, weighing in with 121.
The original 39 entrants were whittled down to a shortlist of seven earlier this month.
The Insignia, which hits dealerships early next year, will be available as a hatchback, saloon or estate.
Members of the 59-strong jury praised the Insignia for being "much more than style".
"The Insignia and Fiesta are both brilliant cars," said Steve Cropley, executive vice president of the 2009 award and editor-in-chief of Autocar.
"Commiserations to Ford for just missing out. I hope the strength of the support that its car received will be some kind of compensation."
