Three French, one German and one Japanese are among the seven shortlisted finalists for the European Car of the Year 2005 that will be announced on November 15th.
The strong French presence is represented by the Citroën C4, the Peugeot 407 and the Renault Modus.
The sole German competitor is the BMW 1-Series, while the Japanese challenger is the eco-friendly Toyota Prius hybrid.
All five must compete against two cars with multinational rather than national identity, the Ford Focus and Opel Astra.
These seven cars have just emerged from the first round of voting by 58 leading motoring journalists from 22 countries, including Ireland.
The short list is mostly predictable with an affordable and everyday bias about it. Ford's second generation Focus is likely to find tougher going this time, given that the new car is evolutionary rather than the radical shape that characterised the first model, which took the European title in 1999 ahead of the Astra.
Opel, six years on, is saying that the Astra can show the same satisfying driving zeal as the original while offering crisper, fresher styling that's particularly evident on the sleek three-door versions presented at the recent Paris car show.
Can Astra beat Focus and reverse the 1999 result? And what about Citroën's much acclaimed C4, taking over from the Xsara, and the Peugeot 407 which is one rung up in the family and fleet car sector? Both essentially come from the same stable, PSA or Peugeot-Citroën being one company with differing badges.
The C4 was viewed by many as more aesthetically pleasing, especially measured against the 407's gaping open mouth.
The inclusion of the Renault Modus supermini MPV was a modest surprise. In spite of being able to move the furniture around, it brings nothing new to the party and the trend has already been established earlier with cars like the Opel Meriva.
For sheer driving pleasure, the jury members would certainly be strongly influenced by the BMW 1-Series, the Bavarian marque's newest entry-level car. Rear-wheel-drive is almost a novelty these days in a smallish car, providing excellent 50:50 weight distribution. A disadvantage from this layout is the rear interior space and it's certainly manifest in the 1-Series.
The eco-friendly Toyota Prius, now in its second generation, has already garnered a huge amount of publicity, mainly related to the prognosis that the future is hybrid. This new Prius has already won the North American Car of the Year award 2004.
It should be a reasonably high scorer, if only because of the times in which we live.
Andrew Hamilton represents Ireland on the European Car of the Year jury