The winner will be announced at the 2022 New York International Auto Show. Until then, we know what the 2022 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) finalists are. For this year’s edition there’s also a World Electric Vehicle of the Year (WEVOTY) award.
Vehicles eligible for the World Car of the Year award must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units per year, must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and must be “on-sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents within the period January 1, 2021 and March 30, 2022.
There were 28 contenders at start. Now it’s down to these ten cars from down below as decided by the jury of 102 automotive journalists from 33 countries. The vote was secret.
The 2022 WCOTY will include a new award given only to electric vehicles. This new award is intended to “recognize, support and celebrate the global transition to electrically powered vehicles that is now underway and to acknowledge the efforts of automakers around the world in developing these climate-conscious vehicles”. The five finalists are: the Audi e-tron GT, BMW iX, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
The 2022 World Urban Car
To be eligible for this award vehicles must be produced in volumes of at least 5.000 units/year and must be “on-sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents within the period January 1, 2021, and March 30, 2022. Also, vehicles must have a maximum length of 4.3 meters (14.1 ft) and be approved for operation on public roads. The contenders for the 2022 prize are, as follows: the Dacia Sandero, Opel Mokka, Renault Kiger, Toyota Yaris Cross, and the Volkswagen Taigun.
The 2022 World Luxury Car
Luxury Car placement is determined based solely on its range of prices over all available models. Specifically, the price range of the subject vehicle is compared to that of established luxury-class vehicles in the major markets where the car is sold and if its median price falls within or above that range, the vehicle is classified as a Luxury vehicle.
The contenders here must also have a production volume of at least 5.000 units/year and have to be on-sale in at least two major markets. This year year’s finalists are, in alphabetical order: the Audi Q5 Sportback, BMW iX, Genesis GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQS, and the Volvo C40 Recharge.
The 2022 World Performance Car
Here the rules change a bit. Vehicles eligible for World Performance Car must be produced in volumes of at least 2,000 units/year, must be overtly performance-focused in overall character, and must be “on-sale" in at least two major markets on at least two separate continents within the period January 1, 2021 and March 30, 2022.
Substantially revised variations of existing models, specifically designed to enhance overall performance characteristics, may be eligible, at the discretion of the organizers. For the 2022 prize we have these finalists, in alphabetical order: the Audi e-tron GT, BMW M3/M4, Porsche 911 GT3, Toyota GR86 / Subaru BRZ and the Volkswagen Golf GTI/R.
All cars competing in these five categories were eligible for the 2022 World Car Design of the Year (WCDOTY) award. But design experts were asked to establish a shortlist. The finalists for 2022 WCDOTY are: the Audi e-tron GT, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
The WCOTY winner will be announced at the 2022 New York International Auto Show.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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