A world panel of renowned motoring journalists, including CAR Magazine’s deputy Editor Hannes Oosthuizen, has announced the top three finalists in four categories of this year’s World Car Awards.
By Gareth Dean
The countdown to the announcement of the World Car of the Year at the New York International Motor Show is gathering momentum now that the field has been narrowed down to just three competitors per category.
Now in its sixth year, the annual World Car of the Year awards has become a household name when it comes to recognising and rewarding automotive excellence on a global scale. Although the award ultimately goes to a single car encompassing the above mentioned merits, special recognition is also given to a selection of outstanding performance cars, car design, and green motoring technologies.
A panel of 59 international motoring journalists, including CAR Magazine’s Deputy Editor Hannes Oosthuizen, initially whittled an entry list of 51 cars down to ten entrants per category, and have now pared that number down to just three.
The top three contenders for the overall 2009 World Car title announced by the international accounting firm KPMG are:
- Ford Fiesta
- Toyota iQ
- Volkswagen Golf VI
To be eligible for the overall World Car award, the contender had to be in production, and sold, on at least two continents during 2008.
Three additional winners in the World Performance Car, World Green Car award, and the World Car Design of the Year categories will also be announced at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 9, 2009.
The top three finalists for the 2009 World Performance Car award, presented by Mobil 1 are:
- Corvette ZR1
- Nissan GT-R
- Porsche 911 Carrera
The three finalists in the World Car design category are:
- Citroen C5 Sedan / C5 Tourer
- Fiat 500
- Jaguar XF
These contenders were shortlisted by an expert sub-jury who specialise in automotive design, and then submitted for the deliberation of the world jury.
The press conference announcing the winner of the World Car of the Year and its sub categories will take at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 9, 2009.