The top 10 finalists in the running for the 2023 World Car Awards title have been announced. Let’s take a look at which vehicles made the cut, as well as those in the competition’s 5 sub-categories…
The 2023 World Car Awards jury has whittled down the initial 30-strong list of vehicles in contention to win the overall title to just 10 finalists. In addition, the top 5 finalists in each of the competition’s 5 sub-categories (electric vehicle, luxury car, performance car, urban car and design) have also been confirmed.
A jury of 100 distinguished international automotive journalists from 32 countries selected the finalists by secret ballot, based on their respective evaluations of each eligible vehicle as part of their professional work. Cars.co.za ’s very own Hannes Oosthuizen, who is South Africa’s longest-standing representative on the World Car of the Year jury, has also had his say.
“With so many electric vehicles in the running, it has become almost unnecessary to have a separate category for them, but having recently tested the BMW i7, I expect that vehicle to win its category quite easily. Hopefully, I get to drive a few more finalists before the next round of voting, including the Ora Funky Cat, which might spring a surprise for a Chinese vehicle in this competition,” Oosthuizen said.
The top 3 finalists in each of the categories will be revealed on 7 March, before the winners are announced on 5 April at the 2023 New York International Auto Show. Meanwhile, the World Car Person of the Year 2023 will be revealed on 21 February, selected from the following list of contenders:
- Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD
- Dr. Stella Clarke, Research Engineer Open Innovations at BMW Group
- SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC)
- Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO at Lucid Motors
- Naoyuki Sakamoto, Chief Engineer, GR Corolla, Gazoo Racing Company, Toyota
As a reminder, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 won the overall gong in 2022 , with the Volkswagen ID.4 having claimed the trophy in the previous year. The Kia Telluride came out on top in 2020, with the Jaguar I-Pace placing first in 2019 and the Volvo XC60 triumphing back in 2018.
So, which vehicle will finish first in 2023? Check out all the finalists in below…
World Car of the Year finalists
- Alfa Romeo Tonale
- BMW 2 Series Coupé
- BMW X1 / iX1
- Honda HR-V/ZR-V
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Kia Niro
- Mazda CX-60
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Nissan Ariya
- Nissan Z
World Electric Vehicle of the Year finalists
- BMW i7
- Genesis GV60
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Kia Niro EV
- Lucid Air
World Luxury Car of the Year finalists
- BMW 7 Series/i7
- Genesis G90
- Range Rover
- Range Rover Sport
- Lucid Air
The World Performance Car of the Year finalists
World Urban Car of the Year finalists
World Design Car of the Year finalists
- Cadillac Lyriq
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Range Rover
- Lucid Air
- Nissan Z
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