The top three finalists for the World Car of the Year, World Performance Car, World Green Car, and World Car Design of the Year awards have just been announced. The winners will be declared at the New York International Motor Show on April 21. Ireland is represented on the World Car jury by Padraic Deane of Automotive Publications and motoring correspondent of the Advertiser Group.
World Car of the Year 2011
From an initial entry list of 39 new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of 10 finalists, the top three contenders for the overall 2011 World Car of the Year title are, in alphabetical order: Audi A8, BMW 5 Series, and Nissan LEAF.
World Performance Car 2011
The top three finalists for the 2011 World Performance Car award are, in alphabetical order: Ferrari 458 Italia, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and Porsche 911 Turbo.
2011 World Green Car
The 66 member jury chose the following top three finalists for the 2011 World Green Car award: BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition, Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan LEAF.
Due to the complexity of some of the green technologies, three green experts were appointed by the World Car Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate for the World Green Car award.
They will then create a short list of finalists for review by the 66 jurors.
2011 World Car Design of the Year
Cars eligible for the 2011 World Car Design of the Year award are taken from the list of World Car candidates or they may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is introduced and available for sale in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending May 30.
A design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short list of recommendations for the jurors. The top three design finalists as chosen by the jurors are, in alphabetical order: Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Aston Martin Rapide, and Ferrari 458 Italia.
