This year, the Brussels Motor Show — in addition to those 270,000 unsuspecting visitors — was also the stage for the Car of the Year election. For example, a jury of independent car journalists determined that the Jeep Avenger can wear that popular round sticker on its rear window for a year, but it is only allowed in Europe. Secretly, the full name of the award is ‘European Car of the Year’ and there is also a separate ‘World Car of the Year’. And it doesn’t just hand out one sticker, but also determines the best car per segment in addition to an overall winner.
Again Hyundai or… Alfa Romeo?
That overall winner may be the most coveted title, and there is also the largest number of finalists in the running. This year, for example, ten models are available to the jury, and our European Car of the Year, the Jeep Avenger, is not even among them. Group colleague Alfa Romeo may once again appear in the list with the Tonale, and it was not a candidate in Europe. You can find who is still participating for World Car of the Year in the list below.
Finalisten: World Car of the Year 2023
• Alfa Romeo Tonale • BMW 2 Reeks Coupé • BMW X1/iX1 • Honda ZR-V • Hyundai Ioniq 6 • Kia Niro • Mazda CX-60 • Mercedes-Benz C-Klasse • Nissan Ariya • Nissan Z
Last year, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 came out as the big winner, putting an electric model at the top of the list for the second time in a row. This year, Hyundai hopes to repeat that trick with the Ioniq 6, but the BMW iX1, the Nissan Ariya and (partly) the Kia Niro also represent elektroland in the election. The BMW 2 Series Coupé and Nissan Z defend the honor of the sports cars, although the latter is not available from us.
Not the C3 you think
Those EVs and sports cars also get their own mini-election, because the World Car of the Year jury also determines the best cars of 2023 per segment. In April, for example, there will also be a World Electric Car, a World Luxury Car, a World Performance Car and a World Urban Car. The search for candidates was apparently difficult, especially in the latter category, because only three finalists remained. They are not all equally relevant to us, because the Citroën C3, for example, is not about the original European copy, but about the Indian crossover derivative.
Finalisten: World Electric Car of the Year 2023
• BMW i7
• Genesis GV60
• Hyundai Ioniq 6
• Kia Niro EV
• Lucid Air
Finalisten: World Luxury Car of the Year 2023
• BMW 7 Reeks/i7
• Genesis G90
• Land Rover Range Rover
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport
• Lucid Air
Finalisten: World Performance Car of the Year 2023
• BMW M4 CSL • Kia EV6 GT • Nissan Z • Porsche 911 GT3 RS • Toyota GR Corolla
Finalisten: World Urban Car of the Year 2023
• Citroën C3 • Ora Funky Cat • Volkswagen Taigo
The fact that not our C3, but the Indian variant is among the finalists, has everything to do with the rules used by the World Car of the Year election. For example, each candidate must be available in at least two major world markets, which puts the European Citroën C3 out of the game, for example, but allows models such as the Nissan Z or the Toyota GR Corolla with their availability in Asia and the US. Now it is up to the 100-member jury of international motoring journalists to determine which car is the best in each category, and which can take the overall title of *World Car of the Year 2023. Appointment on April 5th.
