The World Car of the Year jury, which is comprised of 100 automotive journalists from 32 countries, has been busy over the past few weeks narrowing down the list of finalists for the World Car Awards. The list has now been trimmed down to only three finalists for each of the six categories.
The finalists for the World Car of the Year award are the BMW X1/iX1, Hyundai Ioniq 6, and Kia Niro. These three vehicles were chosen over the Alfa Romeo Tonale, BMW 2 Series Coupe, Honda HR-V/ZR-V, Mazda CX-60, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Ariya, and Nissan Z.
In the World Electric Vehicle category, the semi-finalists included the BMW i7, Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Kia Niro EV, and Lucid Air. The BMW i7, Hyundai Ioniq 6, and Lucid Air were selected for the next leg of the awards. The BMW 7 Series/i7, Genesis G90, and Lucid Air are competing against each other in the World Luxury Car category, having left the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport behind.
The World Performance Car finalists are Kia’s EV6 GT, Nissan’s Z, and Toyota’s GR Corolla. The World Urban Car finalists are the Citroen C3, ORA Funky Cat/Haomao, and Volkswagen Taigo/Nivus. The Hyundai Ioniq 6, Range Rover, and Lucid Air have prevailed over the Cadillac Lyriq and Nissan Z in the World Car Design of the Year.
In addition to the six categories, the World Car Person of the Year award has been presented to SangYup Lee, the Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center. Lee received the award for his designs applied to various vehicles that were introduced in 2022, including the new Kona, Ioniq 6, and N Vision 74 Concept. Lee has also made his mark on other cars over the years, such as the Bentley Bentayga, Continental GT, Stingray Corvette Concept, Cadillac Sixteen, and fifth-gen Chevy Camaro.
The winners for each category will be announced on April 5 at the New York International Auto Show.
Source: World Car Awards
