It's official.

The Audi S8 is the AsiaOne readers pick for 2007's Car of the Year .

Almost 30 per cent of the total votes came in for the big, bad 5.2 litre sedan.

A distant second with 16 per cent of the votes was another car sporting quattro all-wheel-drive technology: The Audi R8 coupe.

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS Carrera made it a close fight though, with just eight votes less!

NO CONTEST
Straits Times senior correspondent, Christopher Tan, wasn't completely surprised by the popularity of the S8.

"It is not entirely surprising that the Audi S8 garnered the most votes. It is not everyday that you see a luxury sedan equipped with a V10," said Christopher.

"What's surprising is that the S8 had almost twice as many votes as its more sexy and exotically-styled sibling, the R8.

"I would have expected a closer fight."

CASH & DASH
With the top three cars all capable of supercar performance, Christopher also noted how "readers are not really excited about bread-and-butter cars - no matter how good they are."

AsiaOne reader, "Alan", wrote in to suggest that the Honda Civic Type-R should have figured somewhere in the top 10 list, where Japanese makes were conspicuously absent.

"As for why there's only one Japanese car in the list, well, frankly, the Daihatsu Materia was the only Japanese car launched in 2007 that stood out," explained Christopher.

"You might argue that the Honda Civic Type R is worthy, but which one: the version brought in by authorised Honda agent Kah Motor or the one offered by parallel importers?"

Readers' Choice Top 10 Cars

Rank	Description
1		Audi S8 A heavenly ride in an uber high-tech luxury barge. Combine that with a 5.2-litre V10 with angsana-ripping torque and resistance is futile.
2		Audi R8 Mid-engine, all-wheel-drive, impeccable credentials. And you already have a Ferrari.
3		Porsche GT3 RS Something that can whoop the neighbour's Ferrari and Lambo with, without putting your back out.
4		Mercedes-Benz S350 WITH DISTRONIC PLUS. Radar and onboard computer let this car cope with stop-start traffic all on its own.
5		Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Always wanted a yacht but never liked the water? Now, here's your chance.
6		Volkswagen Jetta The one with the 2.0 TFSI Golf GTI engine is irrefutable proof that sedans can be fun. Lots of fun.
7		Bentley Arnage T Decidedly old school, but 1,000Nm of torque takes you to dizzying heights.
8		Audi Q7 The best luxury seven-seater SUV you can buy. Period.
9		Ford Mondeo If Ford made this Mondeo 10-20 years ago, Toyota would not be the world's No 1 car-maker.
10		Daihatsu Materia Here's a budget buy that looks and feels special. The term "cheap and good" comes to mind.