• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, December 28, 2016

Given the rise of women car purchasers worldwide, the female voice is more important than ever. Women, in fact, are the fastest-growing consumer segment in the world and, arguably, the most influential.

That’s according to the organizers of the Women's World Car of the Year, which claims to be the only car awards voted exclusively by women. There are dozens of automotive awards — it's an industry that truly loves awards — but this one is unique. 

An Australian report published a few years ago looked at the buying patterns of women of big-ticket items and, more importantly, looked at the female influence in the purchase of those big-ticket items. The report concluded, in part, that businesses that failed to take heed of this strong and growing female pocket-book ability and sphere of influence would be hard-pressed to stay in business within the next decade. The humorous but most likely accurate name of the report:  “When I’ve Made Up Our Mind.”

The criteria for choosing the Women’s Car Of The Year is simple: Judges are asked to vote according to the criteria women utilize when buying a car.

Thus safety, value-for-money, aesthetic appearance, storage space, child–friendliness, ease-of-driving, color, sex appeal and environmental footprint are all categories the judges analyze.

The winning car may not reach 0-100 mph in less than so many seconds,  but it will be a car that appeals very strongly to women and that, in essence, is what this award is all about.

Judges vote initially for the car of their choice in six different categories. The Jaguar F-PACE won the SUV/Crossover category from six other contenders. Judges then voted again from the list of six category winners in Women’s World Car of the Year to choose the Supreme Winner. The Jaguar F-PACE was the first model to be built by Jaguar in the compact luxury crossover SUV class. It was formally announced at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Sandy Myhre, managing director of Women's World Car of the Year, said winning a category is not easy, let alone winning the Supreme Award.

"From the early lists the judges send in, there were some strong contenders in one or two categories but mostly only a few percentage points separate the top three cars in each segment,” Myrhe says. “Honda must be congratulated for winning two categories – the Family Car Award for the Honda Civic and the Budget Car Award for the Honda Jazz.”

The voting process is rigorous. Judges submit their personal short list and, this year, 294 cars were nominated by 17 judges from 14 countries.

Women's World Car of the Year is the only car award in the world voted for entirely by women and voting is by secret ballot.

The iconic Ford Mustang was chosen as the Women’s Performance Car of the Year 2016, Mustang’s closest contender was the critically acclaimed Ford Focus RS, with just one point separating the two.

Other winners include the Volvo S90, which was chosen as the Women’s World Luxury Car of the Year and the Toyota Prius, which was named the Women’s World Green Car of the Year.

There no doubt will be many more car awards handed out for 2016, but this unique list should be duly noted, for the buying power of women cannot be ignored.