9 VW Offerings Highlight World Car Of The Year Awards Finals

Good things are happening to Volkswagen. After a year-and-a-half of turmoil brought on by its self-inflicted emissions cheating scandal, things are looking up for the automaker.

World Car of the Year

For example, five of the 10 vehicles up for the World Car of the Year award are manufactured by Volkswagen or a subsidiary. The vehicles are:

• Audi A5/S5 Coupe
• Audi Q2
• Audi Q5
• Skoda Kodiaq
• VW Tiguan

Also, the automaker has at least one or more entries in the following categories:

• World Luxury Car: Bentley Bentayga
• World Performance Car: Audi R8 Spyder and Porsche Boxster Cayman
• World Car Design: Audi A5/S5 Coupe

It is quite an impressive array of vehicles. And, to think that just a-year-and-a-half ago, it seemed as if every day there was a new revelation about the automaker that was less than impressive. To say that VW has come a long way putting it mildly, though admittedly it does have a long way to go.

The World Car of the Year Awards is relatively new. Only 13 years old, they have become one of the premier awards in the automotive business. The winners will be announced on April 13 at the New York International Auto Show. This year is the fourth in a row that the WCA program has reached the pinnacle of automotive awards regarding media reach.

A jury of 75 automotive journalists chose the finalists. The vehicles were picked as part of the journalists’ professional work.

First Tour Stops

The journey to the award began September 29 in Paris. Following a five-day stop in Los Angeles for test drives in November. The Road to the World Car stopped briefly for last week’s announcement of the finalists.

The next stop will be the Geneva International Auto Show. On March 7, the three finalists will be announced in all categories at the auto show. And, when the journey wraps up on April 13, the winners will be announced.

Since it is a young awards program whose importance is growing, the World Car Awards has a dual mission. It celebrates the best of today while inspiring the best of tomorrow. Its focus is on excellence and innovation.

The team of experts that assists with the program. That team “connects, influences and ultimately tells the stories of the cars, their technologies and their role in our world. This important connection is also how we seek to drive innovation.

Complete Listing Of Finalists

Here’s a complete listing of all of the finalists:

2017 World Car of the Year

• Audi A5 / S5 Coupé
• Audi Q2
• Audi Q5
• Fiat/Abarth 124 Spyder
• Honda Civic
• Jaguar F-PACE
• Mazda CX-9
• Skoda Kodiaq
• Toyota C-HR
• Volkswagen Tiguan

2017 World Luxury Car

• Bentley Bentayga
• BMW 5 Series
• Genesis G90
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Volvo S90 / V90

2017 World Performance Car

• Aston Martin DB11
• Audi R8 Spyder
• Honda / Acura NSX
• McLaren 570s
• Porsche Boxster Cayman

2017 World Green Car

• Chevrolet Bolt
• Honda Clarity Fuel-Cell Car
• Hyundai Ioniq
• Tesla Model X
• Toyota Prius Prime

2017 World Urban Car

• BMW i3 (94 Ah)
• Citroen C3
• Ford KA+
• Smart Cabriolet
• Suzuki Ignis

2017 World Car Design of the Year

• Audi A5 / S5 Coupé
• Jaguar F-PACE
• Mazda CX-9
• Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet
• Toyota CH-R