The World Car of the Year jury has announced their top 10 finalists for 2010. The top 3 will be announced in Geneva, while the actual awards will be given out at the New York International Auto Show.
The cars are picked by a jury of 59 journalists (There’s even one from Canada). Here’s the Top 10 they picked for World Car of the Year:
- Audi Q5
- BMW X1
- Chevrolet Cruze
- Kia Soul
- Mazda3
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Opel/Vauxhall Insignia/Buick Regal
- Porsche Panamera
- Toyota Prius
- Volkswagen Polo
I agree with most of them, but I believe the Prius and X1 don’t belong anywhere near this list. Also, why isn’t the Panamera in the next list? That next list is for the World Performance Car of the Year.
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage
- Audi R8 V10
- Audi TT RS
- BMW Z4
- Ferrari California
- Jaguar XFR
- Lotus Evora
- Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
- Nissan 370Z
- Porsche 911 GT3
- Porsche Boxster/Cayman
Everything looks fine in this list, apart from the Boxster/Cayman. I just don’t think they’re good enough for this list.
The jury will be now choosing out of these lists to break it down into a top 3 list, after which they must pick the final winners. Also, there are separate juries deciding on World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car of the Year.
Press Release:
AND NOW THERE ARE TEN ..
Top Ten World Car and World Performance Car Finalists Announced
January 30, 2010 – For Immediate Release
The countdown has begun in preparation for the 2010 World Car Awards winners’ press conference co-hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and the BASF Group at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 1, 2010. The 2010 World Car of the Year and the 2010 World Performance Car will be declared at this time.
The top three finalists in all award categories will be announced at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010.
A jury of fifty-nine (59) distinguished international automotive journalists selected the following top ten finalists in both categories by secret ballot, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, as well as other parts of the world. All hold significant stature within their own regions and countries. For more details about our jurors, and their outlets, please visit our web site: www.wcoty.com and choose “Juror Details”.
The international accounting firm KPMG then tabulated the jurors’ ballots and announced the top ten finalists in both categories today.
The 2010 World Car of the Year will be selected from the following top ten cars listed in alphabetical order:
Audi Q5
BMW X1
Chevrolet Cruze
Kia Soul
Mazda3
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Opel/Vauxhall Insignia / Buick Regal
Porsche Panamera
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen PoloThe 2010 World Performance Car will be chosen from one of these top ten finalists:
Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Audi R8 V10
Audi TT RS Coupé / Roadster
BMW Z4
Ferrari California
Jaguar XFR
Lotus Evora
Mercedes-Ben z E 63 AMG
Nissan 370 Z
Porsche 911 GT3
Porsche Boxster / CaymanThe jurors’ next step is to re-evaluate the “top ten” cars in both classes, in preparation for a final round of voting in February. They will specifically rate each vehicle in terms of overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal, and significance. KPMG will again tabulate the vote results. The top three finalists in both categories will be announced at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 2nd during a press conference co-hosted by the New York International Auto Show, the BASF Group, and Bridgestone Corporation.
Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to form a unique research partnership that will provide strategic reports in 2010, analyzing global automotive media coverage.
Finalists in the World Car Design of the Year category are handled quite differently. A panel of five highly respected world design experts assisted the jurors by developing for them a short list of recommendations taken from the array of entries in the 2010 World Car of the Year category. The experts Masatsugu Arimoto (Japan): chairman Japan Auto Colour Award program; juror “Good Design Award”, Car Styling magazine’s “Car Design Awards”; judge – Japan Car of the Year awards; Silvia Baruffaldi (Italy): Managing Editor of Auto & Design magazine; Gernot Bracht (Germany): former designer at Renault and currently teaching at Pforzheim design school in Germany; Sam Livingstone (UK): Associate Editor of Car Design News and Senior Tutor in Vehicle Design, Royal College of Art in the UK and Tom Matano: former Mazda designer and currently Executive Director, School of Industrial Design, at Academy of Art University, San Francisco, USA. The fifty-nine jurors will now choose the 2010 World Car Design of the Year winner from the experts’ short list of finalists when they vote in February.
The same system applies to the World Green Car* award. A panel of three experts, each representing a continent, reviews all entries in this category; then creates a short-list for the jurors’ vote in February. The World Green Car panel consists of Sam Abuelsamid representing North America (GreenFuelsForecast.com, DieselForecast.com and HydrogenForecast.com); Dean Slavnich representing Europe (Engine Technology International (ETi), Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International (E&H) and Tadashi Tateuchi representing Asia (creator and chairman of the Japan Electric Vehicle (EV) Club).
Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.
The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.
The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the co-chairs; Matt Davis (Italy), John McCormick (USA) and Jens Meiners (Germany) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.
For additional information either visit our web site (www.wcoty.com) or please contact Beth Rhind, Executive Manager, E: beth@wcoty.com, T: 1.705.924.3444.
About PRIME RESEARCHPRIME Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to provide strategic studies in the fields of automotive assessment criteria and automotive awards. PRIME Research is a well-trusted research partner for the automotive industry with a broad range of automotive clients. Its full picture approach, which provides strategic benchmark information and SWOT analyses on over 100 brands and over 10,000 different automobile models, sets the standard in automotive media research.
About the 2010 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
Ushering in the latest motor trends, the 2010 New York International Auto Show will unveil an expansive collection of cutting-edge design and extraordinary innovation. More than four floors of displays from the world’s automakers will feature the newest vehicles and futuristic concept cars. More than 1,000 cars and trucks will be on display. NYIAS is North America’s first and largest-attended auto show. The first exhibition was held in 1900 at Madison Square Garden. Today, the Show represents the nation’s largest new vehicle market, accounting for over 84 0,000 new vehicle registrations in 2008. NYIAS is owned and produced by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.
Important Show Dates
Press Preview March 31 and April 1
Public Sneak Preview April 2
Public Show Dates April 2 – 11
*The World Green Car award was established in 2004 and is part of the overall World Car of the Year Awards program that is international in scope. It should not be confused with the Green Car of the Year® award handed out in the United States by Green Car Journal.
PAST WORLD CAR AWARD WINNERS:2009:
Volkswagen Golf VI – World Car of the Year
Nissan GT-R – World Performance Car
Honda FCX Clarity – World Green Car
Fiat 500 – World Car Design of the Year
2008:
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio – World Car of the Year
Audi R8 – World Performance Car
BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics – World Green Car
Audi R8 – World Car Design of the Year
2007:
Lexus LS460 – World Car of the Year
Audi RS4 – World Performance Car
Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec – World Green Car
Audi TT – World Car Design of the Year
2006:
BMW 3-Series – World Car of the Year
Porsche Cayman S – World Performance Car
Honda Civic Hybrid – World Green Car
Citroen C4 – World Car Design of the Year
2005:
Audi A6 – World Car of the Year
Source: World Car of the Year via Autoblog