The Aston Martin Rapide and the Cadillac Converi have emerged as the big winners in the most recent automotive design awards, held at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. With car design the topic of most discussion at the awards, it was two of the more progressive big names in the industry who collected the top gongs.

Of the numerous awards handed out at the Geneva Motor Show, none were more prestigious than the Best Production and Best Concept car, which were taken out by the Rapide and Converi respectively.

The creators of the Aston Martin model were acknowledged by design director Marek Reichman who collected the honour on behalf of the design team behind the Rapide Sedan. Reichman praised the voters who took part in the awards process which he argued pointed to the teamwork and passion of both the iconic brand and design team.

The General Motors European studios were the team behind the sumptuous new Cadillac Converi, which was created under the guidance of design director Simon Cox. The chief designer for mid-size vehicles from General Motors Europe, Malcom Ward, emphasized the global view of his organisation, claiming that he took great pride in receiving the recognition which would be well received in GM’s Detroit headquarters. The Converi moves away from the traditional angular trademark design of previous Cadillac’s, and now features a cab-forward design. The Converi also features a range of environmentally friendly and sustainable materials used in its interior design.

Nominations were originally based on a shortlist of candidates published by Car Design News.