BMW iX3 Dominates World Car Awards

The BMW iX3 was the big winner at this year’s World Car Awards, taking both overall honors and a trophy in the best-EV category. Who else was honored this year? Headlight.News has more.

Living up to the title, this year’s six World Car Awards passed trophies out to an array of manufacturers from around the world, including those from Europe, North America, South Korea and China – with only Japan missing from the list of major auto nations.

BMW clearly dominated this year’s honors with the first of its Neue Klasse EVs named not only World Car of the Year but the winner in the EV category.

Picking winners isn’t easy for such an ambitious program. A total of 98 jurors from 33 countries had to consider products that, in many cases, are offered only in specific markets. After whittling down the list over a serious of ballots, here’s a look at the winners they chose in each of the six World Car categories:

World Car of the Year

This year’s program began with jurors considering 58 individual models, noted Siddarth Patanker, a World Car board member. Last month, that got trimmed back to three finalists:

• BMW iX3;
• Hyundai Palisade; and
• Nissan Leaf.

The prestigious award for World Car of the Year went to the iX3. It’s the first model based on BMW’s new Neue Klasse platform which, one official suggested “skipped a generation” to come up with more advanced features and capabilities, including range of up to 400 miles.

World Electric Car of the Year

The iX3 also landed top honors in the program’s EV category, besting a wide range of offerings from manufacturers around the world. The runners-up were the Mercedes-Benz CLA and the latest-generation Nissan Leaf.

The EV category has drawn significant attention in recent years though, for many Americans, it might seem less important lately considering the sharp fall-off in sales since Congress phased out EV tax credits last September. But that just means the States are out of sync with what’s happening elsewhere, suggested World Car board member Carlos Sandoval.

Globally, EV sales surged 25% last year, to 21 million, meaning they accounted for roughly one in four new vehicle sales. “The transition is not coming,” said Sandoval. “It is already here.”

World Car Design of the Year

Just 19 vehicles were up for honors in this category as the year began, facing off to curry the fancy of seven design experts from around the world. In the end, the finalists were:

• Kia PV5;
• Mazda 6e
• Volvo ES90.

The Mazda entry drove off with the World Car Design of the Year trophy.

Picking up on the automaker’s Kodo design language, the goal with the 6e was to strike a balance between technology and classic design, said Yasutake Tsuchida, “to create a moving experience.”

World Urban Car of the Year

With more and more global citizens moving to densely packed cities, it’s become “increasingly important” to develop unique products focused specifically on urban environs that aren’t just “second-class” alternatives, suggested World Car juror Steve Fowler.

The finalists here included three Chinese and one Korean model:

• Baoyun Yap Plus (also sold in China as the Chevrolet Spark EV);
• Firefly (the little entry from Neo’s third – and newest – brand); and
• Hyundai Venue.

The Firefly took honors, underscoring the rapid rise of Chinese domestic automakers.

World Performance Car

Even in an era of increasing energy concerns, performance products continue to draw the aspiration of millions of motorists around the world. The good news, said juror Jennifer Newman, is that the alternatives are “more diverse than ever.” Among the reasons: the power offered by hybrid and all-electric drivetrain technologies.

The finalists here included:

• BMW M2 CS;
• Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray; and
• Hyundai Ioniq 6N.

The Korean entry, which is “ready to go to the races,” according to Hyundai Vice Chairman Jose Munoz, took honors.

World Luxury Car

Wrapping things up, the final category focused on high-line products. The finalist list included:

• Cadillac Vistiq;
• Lucid Gravity;
• Volvo ES90.

Loaded with high-line features, capable of supercar power, hitting 60 in as little as 3.1 seconds, and capable of up to 420 miles per charge, the Lucid Gravity won in the Luxury Car category.

“No other vehicle in the world can do what the Lucid Gravity can do,” was the modest response from the U.S. brand’s communications chief Nick Twork.