Das Goldene Lenkrad ('The Golden Steering Wheel') is one of the best-known German awards for new

car models The model of a car is its design, in the context of the manufacturer's range or series of cars. Different models, variants are distinguishable by technology, components, underpinnings, and/or style and appearance. The methods used to categorise ...

. It has been awarded since 1976 by the

Axel Springer SE Axel Springer SE () is a European multinational corporation, multinational mass media, mass and online media company, based in Berlin, Germany. The company offers printing and publishing of advertisements, digital classifieds portfolio, marketi ...

-owned tabloid ''

BILD am Sonntag ''Bild am Sonntag'' (''BamS'') is the largest-selling German national Sunday newspaper published in Berlin, Germany. History and profile ''Bild am Sonntag'' was first published on 29 April 1956.Helmut Böger, ''Bild'', 8 May 2011Die Story von Ba ...

'' (''BamS''), since 2009 in cooperation with ''

Auto Bild ''Auto Bild'' is a leading German automobile magazine based in Hamburg, Germany. History and profile ''Auto Bild'' was first published on the last week of February 1986. The magazine is published by Axel Springer AG on a weekly basis. The webs ...

''. The rules were tightened in 2017. For the first time, the results in everyday fuel consumption had an impact on the grading of the test cars. If the difference between the specified factory consumption and actual consumption was too large on a fixed test track, this led to the deduction of points. In addition, the vehicles were randomly inspected by the independent testing organisation

DEKRA Dekra (stylised as DEKRA in its logo) is a vehicle testing and inspecting organisation founded in Berlin, Germany in 1925, although the company is currently headquartered in Stuttgart. Dekra operates 480 branches throughout Germany and carri ...

. If there were too many deviations from the legal limits applicable from September 2017, the car was disqualified. Tom Drechsler, Editor-in-Chief Auto of the BILD Group: "The new tests in the style of doping controls have two consequences: They make the prize even more valuable: for the customers and for those who build the cars." In the case of diesel vehicles, the

test was mainly concerned with

nitrogen oxide emissions In atmospheric chemistry, is shorthand for nitric oxide () and nitrogen dioxide (), the nitrogen oxides that are most relevant for air pollution. These gases contribute to the formation of smog and acid rain, as well as affecting tropo ...

; in the case of

petrol engines A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American and Canadian English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends ...

, the particle values were determined. The 2018 award ceremony was cancelled on 22 June 2018 due to

exhaust gas Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, fuel oil, biodiesel blends, or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through ...

manipulations.

History

The prize was initiated by the publisher

Axel Springer Axel Cäsar Springer (2 May 1912 – 22 September 1985) was a German publisher and founder of what is now Axel Springer SE, the largest media publishing firm in Europe. By the early 1960s his print titles dominated the West German daily press m ...

, who commissioned the former BamS author Hermann Harster to carry it out. In contrast to other car awards such as the ''Car of the Year'', the prizewinners are not determined by journalists or readers, but in two-day test drives by an independent jury of experts, racing drivers and prominent drivers. The award ceremony takes place annually in November in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. With the assumption of editorial responsibility by Peter Maahn, then head of the Auto department at BamS, the criteria of the award were professionalised in 1979. Over the years, the Golden Steering Wheel has developed into an institution which, according to a survey, is the most important German award for automobiles. The award ceremony was broadcast on the

ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...

television channel on 12 November 2000. Presented by Johannes B. Kerner, produced by Schwartzkopff-TV, the award winners were presented in Hangar 2 at

Tempelhof Airport Berlin Tempelhof Airport () was one of the first airports in Berlin, Germany. Situated in the south-central Berlin borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, the airport ceased operating in 2008 amid controversy, leaving Tegel and Schönefeld as the ...

. After 21 years, Maahn handed over responsibility to his successor Joachim Walther in December 2000. In 2007, the Green Steering Wheel was awarded for the best environmental innovation for the first time. Since this year, Tom Drechsler, Editor-in-Chief Auto of the BILD Group and Editor-in-Chief AUTO BILD, together with Marion Horn, Editor-in-Chief of the ''BamS'', bear overall editorial responsibility for the Golden Steering Wheel.

The trophy

The Golden Steering Wheel is made of

gold plated Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often copper or silver (to make silver-gilt), by a chemical or electrochemical (electroplating) process. Plating refers to modern coating meth ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

and was designed in November 1975 by the then 82-year-old

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

Walter W. Franke.Artikel
: ''Wir stellen vor: Künstler in Langenhorn - Walter W. Franke'' in ''De Börner'', ''Langenhorner Heimatblatt'', Nr. 12, Dezember 1983, Seite 1 u. 2 Within three days and nights, he carved a 32-centimetre-high pedestal and the 15-centimetre diameter

steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel, a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and hea ...

from wood. This wooden model then served as a model for the

casting, which was finally covered with gold. The

lettering Lettering or Lettering design is an act or result of artfully drawing letters, instead of writing them simply. Lettering is considered an art form, where each letter in a phrase or quote acts as an illustration. Each letter is created with attent ...

on the base contains the name of the vehicle class, the vehicle, the manufacturer and the date on which the prize was awarded.

The jury

In the last 30 years, the international jury that participated in the decision included, among others:

Sir Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received nu ...

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...

Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio (, ; 24 June 1911 – 17 July 1995) was an Argentine racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "el Chueco" and "el Maestro", Fangio won five Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the ti ...

Walter Röhrl Walter Röhrl (; born 7 March 1947) is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW. Röhrl had 14 victories over his career, with his notable achievements including winnin ...

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge (; born 25 September 1955) is a German football executive and former professional player. Considered as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest German footballers ever, he was also the longt ...

Thomas Gottschalk Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (born 18 May 1950 in Bamberg) is a German radio and television host and entertainer. He is best known for hosting ''Wetten, dass..?'', for many years Europe's biggest television show, which he steered to huge success i ...

Frank Elstner Timm Franz Maria Elstner (born 19 April 1942), known as Frank Elstner, is an Austrian-born German television presenter. Early life Elstner went to school in Rastatt in Germany and gained his first experience in broadcasting as a child when he ...

Nina Ruge Nina Ruge (born 24 August 1956 in Munich) is a German journalist, TV presenter and author. Early life and education Ruge is the daughter of an engineering professor and visited the Ina-Seidel-Schule in Braunschweig. Her sister Annette is an a ...

, Jörg Wontorra,

David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' ...

Peter Maffay Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer. Being a veteran musician, he is often credited for motivating audiences with his emotional lyrics and powerful mel ...

Barbara Schöneberger Barbara von Schierstädt (, ; born 5 March 1974) is a German television presenter, entertainer, actress and singer. Early life Schöneberger is the only child of clarinet player Hans Schöneberger and his wife Annemarie. She studied sociology, ...

Nick Heidfeld Nick Lars Heidfeld (; born 10 May 1977) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Heidfeld began competitive kart racing aged 11. He progressed to Formu ...

Rolf Stommelen Rolf Johann Stommelen (; 11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a German racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing, Stommelen was a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona with Porsche. Stommelen participated in ...

Hans-Joachim Stuck Hans-Joachim Stuck (; born 1 January 1951) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Strietzel", Stuck won the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ...

. Only two jurors (

Hans Herrmann Hans Herrmann (born 23 February 1928) is a retired Formula One and sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany. In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 August 1953. He achieved one podium, and scored ...

and Erhard Schwind) have been involved in all 30 decisions to date. The jury traditionally consists of three different groups:

technicians A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skill and technique, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Specialisation The term technician covers many different special ...

, motor sportsmen and celebrities. Each of the groups evaluates different criteria that correspond to their respective automotive know-how. The winner of the Honorary Steering Wheel is not chosen by the jury, but by a panel of BamS editors and publishers. A jury of experts from politics, environmental associations, the automotive industry and automobile clubs will decide on the Green Steering Wheel after a pre-selection by the readers. The Golden Steering Wheel is a reader's choice in the first step. They determine the four models per class that go one lap further and are tested in

Balocco Balocco is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Vercelli. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 273 and an area of .All demograph ...

in northern Italy. An international jury of experts will examine the winning cars according to various criteria. Among other things, designers evaluate the design there, and connectivity experts check the networking of the cars. Celebrities such as entertainer

and crime scene star

Richy Müller Richy Müller (born Hans-Jürgen Müller; 26 September 1955) is a German television and movie actor. He is particularly known as a crime scene investigator in the German television series Tatort. Filmography * ' (1979, TV miniseries) * ''Jetzt u ...

rate the driving pleasure and racing drivers such as

Formula 3 Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

driver

Mick Schumacher Mick Schumacher (; born 22 March 1999) is a German racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine. Schumacher competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Switzerland, Schumacher is the son of seven-ti ...

and rally legend

transmission, suspension and brakes.

The award ceremony

Except for the years 2000 to 2002, the award ceremony always took place in the in Berlin. In the three years mentioned, the Golden Steering Wheel was broadcast on

from Berlin's

. The most famous award ceremony was on 9 November 1989, when the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

fell. At that time, many guests of the event took the opportunity to visit the eastern sector of the divided city for the first time during the night without checks. Conversely, numerous residents of

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

spontaneously attended the after-show party. At the 1999 award ceremony,

suffered minor burns during the burning down of a stage firework, which met with a great response from the media.

Honorary awards

In addition to the vehicles, from 1983 honorary prizes were also awarded to personalities for special merits. The prizewinners were: * 1983:

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

* 1984:

Ferry Porsche Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche (19 September 1909 – 27 March 1998), mainly known as Ferry Porsche, was an Austrian-German technical automobile designer and automaker-entrepreneur. He operated Porsche AG in Stuttgart, Germany. His fath ...

* 1985:

Giovanni Agnelli Giovanni Agnelli (13 August 1866 – 16 December 1945) was an Italian industrialist and principal founder of Fiat S.p.A., established in 1899. Under his leadership, Fiat became a cornerstone of Italy's automotive industry, significantly contr ...

* 1986: Franz Stadler * 1987:

Lee Iacocca Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca ( ; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive who developed the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, and then reviv ...

* 1988: * 1989:

Eberhard von Kuenheim Dr.-Ing. E.h. Eberhard von Kuenheim (born 2 October 1928) is a German industrial manager. He was Chairman of the executive board (effectively CEO) of the BMW Group, between 1970 and 1993. Biography Kuenheim was born in Juditten () near Barte ...

* 1990:

Carl Hahn Carl Horst Hahn (1 July 1926 – 14 January 2023) was a German businessman and head of the Volkswagen Group from 1982 to 1993. He served as the chairman of the board of management of the parent company, Volkswagen AG (formerly Volkswagenwerk A ...

* 1991: Raymond Lévy * 1992: Louis R. Hughes * 1993:

* 1994:

Bernd Pischetsrieder Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder (born 15 February 1948) is a German automobile engineer and manager. Early life and education Pischetsrieder was born in Munich, Bavaria, and studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich fro ...

* 1995:

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002. He w ...

* 1996:

Wendelin Wiedeking Wendelin Wiedeking (born August 28, 1952 in Ahlen, Germany) is the former president and chief executive officer of the German car manufacturer, Porsche AG, a post he held from 1993 through July 23, 2009. He was also speaker of the company's execu ...

* 1997:

Ferdinand Piëch Ferdinand Karl Piëch (; 17 April 1937 – 25 August 2019) was an Austrian business magnate, engineer, and executive who held the positions of chairman of the executive board (''Vorstandsvorsitzender'') of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002 ...

* 1998: Jürgen Schrempp * 1999: Louis Schweitzer * 2000:

Jacques Nasser Jacques Albert Nasser (Arabic: جاك نصر; born 12 December 1947) is a Lebanese Australian American business executive and philanthropist. Known for a management career at Ford Motor Company spanning several decades and continents, from 19 ...

* 2001:

Joachim Milberg Joachim Milberg (born 10 April 1943 in Verl (Westfalen)) is a German engineer and manager who was CEO of Bayerischen Motorenwerke AG (BMW). He was chairman of the Supervisory Board of BMW until July 2015. Milberg was professor and Dean of the ...

* 2002:

Jürgen Hubbert Jürgen Hubbert (24 July 1939 – 12 January 2021) was a German mechanical engineer and executive. A member of Mercedes-Benz's Board of Management, he helped oversee the production of several Mercedes-Benz road cars and played a significant role ...

* 2003:

Robert A. Lutz Robert Anthony Lutz (born February 12, 1932) is a Swiss-American automotive executive. He served as a top leader of all of the United States Big Three automobile manufacturers, having been in succession executive vice president (and board member ...

* 2004:

Helmut Panke Helmut Gunter Wilhelm Panke (born on 31 August 1946 in Fürstenwalde, East Germany) is a German manager and physicist who has been holding board membership in several companies - Microsoft, Bayer AG and Singapore Airlines. During the past recent ...

* 2005:

Dieter Zetsche Dieter Zetsche (; born 5 May 1953) is a German engineer and business executive. He serves as the chairman of TUI AG. Zetsche was the chairman of the board of management at Daimler AG and the head of Mercedes-Benz until 22 May 2019, a position he ...

* 2006:

Martin Winterkorn Martin Winterkorn (born 24 May 1947) is a German former business executive who served as chairman of the board of management ( CEO, ''Vorstandsvorsitzender'' in German) of Volkswagen AG, the parent company of the Volkswagen Group, as well as ch ...

* 2007:

Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...

* 2008:

Franz Fehrenbach Franz Fehrenbach (born 1 July 1949) is a German engineer and manager who was the chairman of Robert Bosch GmbH. Career Fehrenbach studied industrial engineering and management at the University of Karlsruhe and joined Robert Bosch GmbH in 1975. I ...

* 2009:

Luca di Montezemolo Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman who is best known as the former chairman of Ferrari, Fiat S.p.A., Confindustria and Alitalia. Montezemolo descends from an aristocratic family from the region of Pied ...

* 2010:

Norbert Reithofer Norbert Reithofer (born 29 May 1956 in Penzberg, West Germany) is a German businessman and former chairman of the board of management (CEO) of BMW. He served as chairman of the supervisory board from 2015 to 2025. Early life and education Af ...

* 2011:

Alan Mulally Alan Roger Mulally (born August 4, 1945) is an American aerospace engineer and manufacturing executive. He was the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes from 1998 to 2006, and later as president and chief executive officer of the Ford Motor Company ...

* 2012:

* 2013:

Peter Schreyer Peter Schreyer (born 1953) is a German automobile designer widely known for his design contributions to the Audi TT. He has been the chief design officer at Kia Motors since 2006 and, on 28 December 2012, he was named one of three presidents of ...

* 2014:

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

* 2015:

Ratan Tata Ratan Naval Tata (28 December 1937 9 October 2024) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He served as the chairman of Tata Group and Tata Sons from 1991 to 2012 and he held the position of interim chairman from October 2016 to Feb ...

* 2016:

Mary Barra Mary Teresa Barra (née Makela; born December 24, 1961) is an American businesswoman who has been the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of General Motors since January 15, 2014. She is the first female CEO of a 'Big Three' automaker. In De ...

* 2017:

Håkan Samuelsson Håkan Samuelsson (born 19 March 1951) is a Swedish businessman who is chairman of the executive board (CEO) of Volvo Cars Corporation AB from October 2012 to January 2022. Previously, he was CEO of MAN SE from January 2005 to November 2009. E ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Motor vehicle awards German awards Awards established in 1976 1976 establishments in West Germany Axel Springer SE