The road to the 2024 World Car of the Year is about to come to an end in a little over a month from now when the jurors will announce the big winners. Meanwhile, the panel consisting of over 100 international automotive journalists from 29 countries has further trimmed down the list.
In the World Electric Vehicle category, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Volkswagen, and Kia have beaten their opponents (32 vehicles in total). Thus, the i5, EQE SUV, EX30, ID.7, and EV9 are on the shortlist and will further fight each other to gain the top spot.
Mercedes dominates the World Luxury Car class. The three-pointed star has no fewer than three models here, including the CLE, which replaces the two-door versions of the C-Class and E-Class. The new-gen E-Class is also on the list, and so is the EQE SUV. BMW's 5 Series/i5 and the Lexus LM are also among the finalists, having beaten eight other opponents.
Kicking off with 17 vehicles, the World Performance Car category has been trimmed to five models. BMW dominates it with the M2 and XM. Ferrari has also made it to the shortlist with its Purosangue exotic crossover that features V12 firepower. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid and Hyundai's Ioniq 5 N will try to impress the jurors, too, in order to drive home with the gold medal.
The World Urban Car finalists were chosen from a total of seven candidates, and the list has been narrowed down to five. These include the Lexus LBX, Volvo EX30, and Abarth 500e. The Baleno-based Suzuki Fronx tiny crossover has also made it to the list, and so has the BYD Dolphin.
Kicking off with 38 contenders, the World Car of the Year category has left 28 of them behind during this round of testing. The list includes the Volkswagen ID.7, Volvo EX30, Toyota Prius, Subaru Crosstrek, and Mazda CX-90. Kia's EV9 is one of the finalists as well, and its sister company, Hyundai, dominates this class with the Kona/Kona Electric and Santa Fe. The Ford Bronco will try to steal their crown, and so will the BYD Seal/Atto 4.
All vehicles mentioned above are also eligible for the World Car Design of the Year award. The jurors will continue their work by narrowing down the finalists to three in each category, which will be announced on February 26 during the 2024 Geneva International Auto Show. Subsequently, the big winners in all six categories will be announced on March 24, during the 2024 New York International Auto Show.
Which models do you think deserve to wear the crown? And more importantly, which one should win the World Car of the Year title? Your opinion matters, so head on down and speak your mind in the comments section below.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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