2016 World Car Awards: The Road to World Car Continues with Finalists' Announcement

The Road to the World Car continues with today’s announcement of the finalists in all five award categories.

WARKWORTH, ONTARIO, CANADA -- January 26, 2016: This release kicks off the countdown for the 2016 World Car Awards (WCA) prize-giving ceremony to be hosted by the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, March 24, 2016. Winners of the 2016 World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year will all be declared at this time.

2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the partnership between World Car and the New York show, and the third consecutive year that the World Car Awards have retained their ranking as the number one automotive awards program in the world in terms of media reach.

The Global Trends Report, presented annually by Prime Research and Autoneum, will also be announced during the New York show press conference and media breakfast hosted by Bridgestone Corporation. The report is the culmination of research and insights across the past six months.

A jury of 73 distinguished international automotive journalists selected the following finalists by secret ballot based on their evaluation with each candidate as part of their professional work. For more details about our jurors and their outlets, please visit our web site: WCOTY and click < Jurors.

The international accounting firm KPMG tabulated the jurors’ ballots; then announced the finalists today.

The 2016 World Car of the Year will be selected from the following 10 finalists listed in alphabetical order.

Audi A4 Sedan / Audi A4 Avant
BMW X1
Hyundai Tucson
Jaguar XE
Land Rover Discovery Sport
Mazda CX-3
Mazda MX-5
Mercedes-Benz GLC
Skoda Superb
Toyota Prius

The 2016 World Luxury Car will be chosen from one of these top five finalists:

Audi Q7
BMW 7 Series
Jaguar XF
Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe
Volvo XC90

The 2016 World Performance Car top five finalists are:

Audi R8 Coupe
Chevrolet Camaro
Honda Civic Type R I
Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé
Range Rover Sport SVR

The 2016 World Green Car top five are:

BMW 330e Plug-in-hybrid
Chevrolet Volt
Toyota Prius (Hybrid)
Toyota Mirai (Hydrogen Fuel Cell)
Volkswagen Passat GTE

Cars eligible for the 2016 World Car Design of the Year award are taken from the list of World Car candidates or may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is available in quantities of at least 10 in one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2015 and ending May 31, 2016. Candidates may be pre-production or all-new production.

A design panel consisting of six highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts are in alpha order: Masatsugu Arimoto (Japan – Freelance design journalist), Anne Asensio (Vice-President, Design - Dassault Systemes), Gernot Bracht (Germany – Pforzheim Design School), Patrick le Quément (Designer and President of the Strategy Committee - The Sustainable Design School), Sam Livingstone (U.K. - Car Design Research and Royal College of Art) and Tom Matano (USA - School of Industrial Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco)

The five finalists chosen for the jurors are:

Cadillac CT6
Mazda CX-3
Mazda MX-5
Jaguar XE
Land Rover Discovery

The Road to the World Car began in Frankfurt on September 15, was followed by a four and a half day stop in Los Angeles for test-drives of the North American, Japanese and Swedish contenders in November, and continues with today’s finalists’ announcement. The next stop is at the Geneva International Auto Show on Tuesday, March 1 when the top three finalists in all categories will be announced. The journey ends at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, March 24, 2016 when all winners are declared.

As the global nature of the industry continues to strengthen, and the pace of innovation continues to accelerate, World Car is proud to be a part of this amazing journey along with the New York International Auto Show, Prime Research, Bridgestone and Autoneum.

For additional information either visit our web site (WCOTY) or please contact Beth Rhind, Executive Manager, E:beth@wcoty.com

About World Car Awards

The World Car Awards (WCA) are more than just an awards program. The WCA’s judging panel is made up of 74 prominent automotive journalists from around the world that form a global community of experts. The jurors ensure the integrity and credibility of the awards but also serve as an important resource for the industry with a focus on excellence and innovation on a global scale.

About the New York International Auto Show

Owned and operated by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, the New York Auto Show is an awesome combination of new ideas, technological innovation, exceptional concept cars and nearly 1,000 of the latest new cars and trucks. Over one million visitors are expected to visit the show this year to see what is truly possible from the automotive industry.

Important 2016 Auto Show Dates

Automotive Forum: March 22
Press Preview, March 23 & March 24 (credentials required)
Public Sneak Preview, Friday, March 25
Public Show Dates, Friday, March 25 – Sunday, April 3

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS WITH THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR: BEGAN IN FRANKFURT SEPT. 15, 2015. ENDS IN NEW YORK MARCH 24, 2016.