WWCOTY finalists
Automakers are all about award, and two of the most prestigious were recently named.
The Women's Worldwide Car of the Year announced the winners in eight categories. All vehicles represent excellence in safety, driving, technology, comfort, efficiency, environmental impact, value for money and gender equality.
For WWCOTY, the Mini Cooper has been named best urban model, while the Kia EV3 is best compact SUV. The Audi A6 e-tron is best large car and the Hyundai Santa Fe is best large SUV. The Toyota Land Cruiser is best 4x4, and the orsche Panamera is best performance and luxury car. Finally, a Chinese manufacturer, BYD, has been given the best tech award. Volvo has been recognized with the Sandy Myhre Award for the most committed brand for women.
Another prestigious award, the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) was given to three manufacturers last week at the Detroit Auto Show, which is back to its original January schedule (cue the snow storm for the charity preview.)
The Honda Civic Hybrid won NACTOY’s best car while the Ford Ranger was named the best truck. Finally, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz received the best utility vehicle. Having driven all three of the models recently, I can attest that they do indeed represent the best of the best.
Incidentally, the awards ceremony was a who’s-who of automotive executives. While my automotive journalist colleagues like to complain that auto shows no longer produce news, I beg to differ. Sure, if you want to be spoon-fed a press conference, there aren’t as many of those. But for those willing to do old-school interviews, there was no shortage of C-Suite executives to talk to. It's how I found out what Kia has planned for the Super Bowl.
The six WWCOTY category winners will go through to the final round of judging to determine the winner of WWCOTY's top award. The Women's Worldwide Car of the Year winner will be announced on the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year Youtube Channel at 00:00 (New Zealand time) on March 6.
A total of 81 candidates were in the running to win one of the WWCOTY categories. All of them must meet the requirement of having been launched in at least two continents or 40 countries between January and December 2024.
This is the 15th edition of the awards presented by WWCOTY, an organization of 82 women motoring journalists from 55 countries on five continents. It is the only all-female jury in the automotive industry worldwide.
"The work of the juries has not been easy because this year there have been more contenders than ever before,” says Marta García, president of the Women's Worldwide Car of the Year. “There are new brands and models with an ever-increasing quality. No vote has been given at random. They have all been subjected to demanding test drives, detailed analysis and demanding competitor studies. That's why the WWCOTY awards are a benchmark for millions of buyers around the world.".
Coinciding with the announcement of the best in each category, the Women's Worldwide Car of the Year also announces the winner of two important awards: the Best Tech Award for the best technology in the automotive world and the Sandy Myhre Award for the brand most committed to women.