At the New York Auto Show in early April we'll find out which auto has won the coveted World Car of the Year award. We do know, however, it will be either the Audi TT, Lexus LS 460 or new MINI Cooper. The three finalists were recently culled from the list of semi-finalists we brought you back in January. Those ten cars have been pared down to these three, and on April 5th only one will remain.
The Germans (and German-owned) were not only well represented in the list of finalists for World Car of the Year, but also in three other categories for which awards will be given. The finalists for World Performance Car are the Audi RS4, BMW 335i and Porsche 911 Turbo (all German brands). The finalists for 2007 World Green Car are the BMW Hydrogen 7, Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC and Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion (again, all German brands). Lastly, the finalists for the World Car Design of the Year are the Audi TT, Citroen C4 Picasso and Fiat Grande Punto (only one German brand this time, but still). Clearly, German or German-owned brands are the odds on favorite for flying home with some trophy metal.
[Source: WCOTY.com via Winding Road]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DriftPunch @ Mar 19th 2007 2:35PM
Funny how the trophy is a Saturn...
GDUB @ Mar 19th 2007 2:49PM
What no Ford Taurus,Dodge Aries or Chrysler Sebering.
Let me be the first to throw stones at this euro centric staged contest.
Michael Karesh @ Mar 19th 2007 3:04PM
What's so noteworthy about the new Audi TT and MINI? To me they seem evolutions of more groundbreaking predecessors.
Howard Kerr @ Mar 19th 2007 3:09PM
I'm not really a fan of Lexus's flagship sedan, but shouldn't it be added to poster #3s list of "little more than evolutionary designs"?
On a side note, I guess we should be happy they didn't do a Motor Trend and give out an award for World SUV or World Truck.
Deezee @ Mar 19th 2007 3:18PM
#2 Ford Taurus??! You cant be serious.
The only award that car could win is the "Worlds most boring mode of transportation for over weight families" award. Or the "Car which forces company to file for chapter 11" award.
papercliprebel @ Mar 19th 2007 4:05PM
@Michael Karesh
audi TT? how about the new aluminum platform? not everything is skin deep.
p.s. i'm not a fan of audi in any capacity, but i'll give credit where it's due.
PIIT B. AWOT @ Mar 19th 2007 4:45PM
Complaining that it's too euro-centric is like complaining that ugly girls never win Miss Universe, or that fat people never win the 100m sprint at the Olympics.
Gerry @ Mar 19th 2007 9:24PM
You couldn't say it any better #8! Next thing we'll hear from all the idiots will be the Judges are either all German or Japanese! Afterall, the Japanese own Consumer Reports, J.D. Powers, Edmunds, and Kelly Blue Book, and as things seem to be going they're making payments on Motor Trend too.
mojojojo @ Mar 20th 2007 2:49AM
#3 Like the Audi TT, the 2007 MINI is built on a completely new platform with a brand new engine. The MINI is without a doubt the strongest of the three contenders... go MINI!
testa di cazzo @ Mar 20th 2007 9:38AM
#9 don't try to lump the germans in with the japanese. we europeans look down on all japanese vehicles. they are ugly, no design, and basically copies of more advanced european automobile design and technology.
hah! i'd rather buy an american car any day than a japanese car. thank god i live in europe where we rarely see japanese cars. i think i would go blind if i had to see those ugly designs on a regular basis...
J @ Mar 20th 2007 10:22AM
poster #2 was obviously joking. c'mon, the dodge Aries? i mean, '80s k-cars may have old-school charm but world car of the year material they are not.