The race for the World Car Awards becomes more intense as an already competitive field narrows. The annual awards programme has revealed the list of finalists across all its six categories - based on the first round of voting by its 102-strong global jury. Over the past few years the relevance of India's automobile industry has been seen in the awards' shortlist, and it's no different this year too. For the 2022 World Urban Car category, we see two India-specific models making the cut. The final nominees (in alphabetical order) are: the Dacia Sandero hatchback, Opel Mokka and Renault Kiger - both subcompact SUVs, and two compact SUVs - the Toyota Yaris Cross and Volkswagen Taigun. The Kiger and Taigun are not just made here, but have been designed with India as the lead market for each of the model lines. The Kiger is also exported to some markets like South Africa, while the Taigun is set to begin its exports from India to places like Mexico. In the past cars like the Hyundai Santro, Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ignis, have also made this list.
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The finalists for the newly introduced World Electric Vehicle of the Year category include Audi e-tron GT / RS e-tron GT, BMW iX, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Mercedes-Benz EQS
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In the first-ever World Electric Vehicle of the Year category the lineup is quite enviable. Audi's flagship - the new e-tron GT and its potent avatar - the Audi RS e-tron GT are in (as a single entry). Then there's the BMW iX SAV - the BMWi flagship vehicle, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E - which plays the same role for the blue oval. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has made huge waves across the world, and it's no surprise to see it here. The same is true for the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan - which brings new benchmarks from Daimler to the party.
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A majority of finalists for the 2022 World Luxury Car award are EVs like - BMW iX, Mercedes-Benz EQS and Volvo C40 Recharge. We also have the Audi Q5 Sportback and Genesis GV70 in the list
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It is not the least bit surprising to also see the BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQS in the 2022 World Luxury Car list. They are joined by the new Audi Q5 Sportback, Genesis GV70 and the fully-electric Volvo C40 Recharge. The GV70 has been a huge brand builder for Genesis, and is the car we expect will open the luxury brand's innings in India by 2023. The Volvo C40 Recharge is mechanically identical to the XC40 Recharge - a car that will launch in India this year. The iX has already been launched here, and the EQS is also tipped for a 2022 India launch.
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The Audi e-tron GT / RS e-tron GT is also a finalist in World Performance Car category along with BMW M3/M4, Porsche 911 GT3, Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ, and the Golf GTI and Golf R
The finalists for the World Performance Car are the Audi e-tron GT / RS e-tron GT, the new generation BMW M3/M4 and their Competition variants, the super-hot Porsche 911 GT3, the big surprise performer - the Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ, and the two powerful variants on the bestselling hatch family from Volkswagen, the Golf GTI and Golf R. The Toyota GR86 (and its Subaru alter ego) in particular is a very interesting car as it brings performance to an entry buying audience in the markets it sells in. Would be great to see how it stands up to the more obviously powerful sports cars in the fray.
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The World Car Design category has all EVs this year - Audi e-tron GT / RS e-tron GT , Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Mercedes-Benz EQS
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The World Car Design category is the only one where a panel of experts choose the shortlist, before it is put to vote to the jury in the second round. They have chosen some very sexy cars - all of which are making an appearance here and in other categories. The Audi e-tron GT, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Mercedes-Benz EQS. How cool that they are all EVs, eh? The design expert panel includes big names like Shiro Nakamura, Patrick le Quement, and Ian Callum.
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The top 10 finalists for 2022 World Car of the Year award include - Audi Q4 e-tron, Cupra Formentor, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Genesis G70, and the new Hyundai Civic
And finally, for the big one - 2022 World Car of the Year, the Top Ten (once again, in alphabetical order) are: the Audi Q4 e-tron, Cupra's first standalone car not based on a Seat model - the Formentor performance crossover, predictably - the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the racy and sexy Genesis G70, the 11th generation Honda Civic, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Hyundai Tucson, Kia EV6, new second-gen Lexus NX, and the Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ. Four EVs in the Top Ten is a sign of the times. Interesting also to see the jury lean towards some performance cars in the WCOTY category.
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The Top 10 list also includes the Hyundai IONIQ 5, new Tucson, Kia EV6, Lexus NX, and Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ
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Now the action shifts to the second round of voting which will begin now. The global jury has one month to drive any pending cars from this shortlist, and then vote. The Top Three in the World across all categories will be announced on March 17 2022. The winners will be revealed at the World Car Awards ceremony at the New York International Auto Show, on April 13 2022.
