Finalists announced for 2006 World Car of the Year

May I have the envelope, please? Not quite yet.

However... the finalists are:

• BMW 3-Series
• Honda Civic/Civic Hybrid
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport
• Lexus IS
• Mazda MX-5
• Mercedes-Benz M-Class
• Mercedes-Benz S-Class
• Porsche Cayman S
• Suzuki Swift
• Volkswagen Passat

The finalists were selected by a jury of 46 international automotive journalists in a secret ballot. To pick the winner, the jury will rate each finalist in terms of overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal, and significance. The winner will be announced at the New York International Auto Show in April. (Last year's winner was the Audi A6.)

Three specialty awards will also be handed out by the WCOTY program: World Performance Car, World Green Car, and World Car Design of the Year. (Finalists in these categories are selected separately from the WCOTY finalists.) Check out the WCOTY website for details.