THE WINNERS of the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year awards have been announced.
A total of 81 candidates were in the running to win one of the eight WWCOTY categories – all meeting the requirement of having been launched in at least two continents or 40 countries between January and December last year.
Best Urban Model
The Mini Cooper won Best Urban Model for its agility and feel at the wheel, while the Kia EV3 won Best Compact SUV for offering a ‘good quality/equipment/price ratio’.
Audi A6 e-tron was named Best Large Car for its performance, spacious interior and the quality of its materials and finishes.
Best Large SUV
The Hyundai Santa Fe won Best Large SUV, and was praised for being ‘a spacious vehicle with a wealth of practical features’.
Best 4×4
Toyota Land Cruiser was declared Best 4×4, while the Porsche Panamera won the Best Performance and Luxury Car category for its ‘performance, technology and quality of materials and finishes’.
Best Tech Award
The manufacturer BYD won the Best Tech Award, winning praise from judges for having taken ‘a giant leap forward in electric mobility with its Blade battery technology’.
Finally, Volvo won the Sandy Myhre Award for the most committed brand for women.
Women across five continents quizzed
It was the 15th edition of the awards presented by WWCOTY, which consists of a organisation of 82 women motoring journalists from 55 countries on five continents. It is the only all-female jury in the automotive industry worldwide.
Marta García, president of the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year, said: “The work of the juries has not been easy because this year there have been more contenders than ever before. There are new brands and models with an ever-increasing quality.
“No vote has been given at random. They have all been subjected to demanding test drives, detailed analysis and demanding competitor studies. That’s why the WWCOTY awards are a benchmark for millions of buyers around the world.”
The six winners will go through to the final round of judging to determine the winner of WWCOTY’s top award.
And the winner is…..
The Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year winner will be announced on the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year YouTube Channel on March 6, two days before International Women’s Day.
History of the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year
The Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year is the only car awards group in the world comprised exclusively of women motoring journalists.
It was created by New Zealand motoring journalist Sandy Myhre in 2009.
She is honorary president while Marta García is executive president.
This unique award aims to recognise the best cars of the year and to give a voice to women in the automotive world.
The voting criteria are based on the same principles that guide any driver when choosing a car. The jurors do not select a ‘woman’s car’ because cars are not gender specific.
Aspects such as safety, quality, price, design, ease of driving, benefits and environmental footprint, among others, are considered when casting the votes.
