Finalists for the 2022 World Car Awards have been announced following the first round of voting from 102 jurors worldwide – including Motoring Research’s Richard Aucock.
Automotive journalists from 33 countries submitted their votes to KPMG, which has now revealed contenders for each of the six awards.
The big prize is the 2022 World Car of the Year award, which has now been whittled down to 10 cars, from an initial list of 28 vehicles.
The shortlist is diverse, and includes four electric cars – the Audi Q4 e-tron, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
A further three are available in plug-in hybrid guise: the Cupra Formentor, Hyundai Tucson and Lexus NX, while the Genesis G70, Honda Civic and Toyota GR86 (and its Subaru BRZ cousin) round out the top 10.
The reigning 2021 World Car of the Year is the electric Volkswagen ID.4.
New World Electric Vehicle award
Reflecting the ever-hastening shift to electric cars, the World Car Awards organisation has introduced a new award for EVs in 2022: the World Electric Vehicle of the Year.
It intends to “recognise, support and celebrate the global transition to electrically-powered vehicles”.
The five finalists are the Audi e-tron GT, BMW iX, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Mercedes-Benz EQS.
Recognising a different sort of sustainability, the 2022 World Urban Car honours city-friendly cars which delivery plenty of comfort, safety features and value for money.
The Dacia Sandero will compete with the Renault Kiger, Toyota Yaris Cross, Vauxhall Mokka and Volkswagen Taigun.
Luxury, performance and design
The popular 2022 World Luxury Car will be chosen from a group including the Audi Q5 Sportback, BMW iX, Genesis GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQS and Volvo C40 Recharge.
Meanwhile the exciting 2022 World Performance Car will be either the Audi e-tron GT, BMW M3 and M4, Porsche 911 GT3, Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ, or the Volkswagen Golf GTI and R.
Every shortlisted car is also automatically eligible for the 2022 World Car Design of the Year Award.
This year, an expert panel of judges has chosen a shortlist which includes the Audi e-tron GT, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Mercedes-Benz EQS.
The next landmark in the 2022 World Car Awards is 15 March, when the ‘Top Three in the World’ will be announced.
The winners will be declared live from the 2022 New York Auto Show (NYIAS) on Wednesday 13 April.
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