Bartek Sikorski

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As this year’s New York Auto Show approaches, organizers of the annual World Car of the Year awards have released details about the top three finalists for each of the World Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design categories. The final winner of each respective category will be revealed on March 20th at a press event in New York.

To be eligible for an award, the vehicles had to be in production, and sold, on at least two continents during 2008. The cars were shortlisted from an original field of 39 new models by a panel of 47 judges comprised of automotive journalists and industry officials from 24 countries. The top three finalists in each category are as follows:
World Car
Ford Mondeo
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
World Performance Car
Audi R8
Audi S5 Coupe
BMW M3
World Green Car
BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics
SmartForTwo cdi
Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI
World Car Design
Audi R8
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Volvo C30
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Bartek Sikorski

World Car of the Year: Top Three Finalists Announced

Last year, Lexus took home the World Car of the Year title with its LS 460, and this year the panel of judges has to select between the Ford Mondeo, Mazda2 (a.k.a. Mazda Demio), and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The three were chosen from the initial list of top ten finalists, which includes the Audi A5/S5, Audi R8, Cadillac CTS, Ford S-Max, Infiniti G37 Coupe, Nissan Qashqai, and Volvo C30. The award is scheduled to be announced at the New York Auto Show on March 20th.

To those who were expecting one of the above seven to win, there are also other minor-league awards such as the World Performance Car, World Green Car, and the World Car Design of the Year titles.

The three finalists for the World Performance Car award are the Audi R8, Audi S5 Coupé, and BMW M3. The three finalists for the World Green Car award are the BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics, SmartForTwo cdi, and Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI. The three finalists for the World Car Design of the Year award are the Audi R8, Mazda2 (a.k.a. Mazda Demio), and Volvo C30.
Press Release

February 20, 2008 - The countdown continues in preparation for the 2008 World Car awards winners’ press conference at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, March 20, 2008. Announcing the annual World Car of the Year awards at the New York show is a fitting finale to the international auto show season that begins each fall with either the Paris or Frankfurt motor shows.

From an initial entry list of thirty-nine (39) new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of ten finalists, the top three contenders for the overall 2008 World Car title were announced today by the international accounting firm KPMG. They are, in alphabetical order:
• Ford Mondeo
• Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class

To be eligible for a World Car award, the contender had to be in production, and sold, on at least two continents during 2008.

Vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of forty-seven (47) top-level automotive journalists from twenty-four (24) countries around the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work.

Three additional winners for the World Performance Car, World Green Car award, and the World Car Design of the Year will also be announced at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, March 20, 2008.

In preparation, KPMG announced today that the Top Three finalists for the 2008 World Performance Car award, presented by Mobil 1, are, in alphabetical order:
• Audi R8
• Audi S5 Coupé
• BMW M3

While the winner of the overall World Car of the Year Award must excel in a broad range of attributes, the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt sports/performance orientation while satisfying the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car of the Year award.

Entrants may be chosen from that list of eligible vehicles, or they may be newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of five-hundred (500) vehicles.

“It is a great honor to stand with the top three contenders vying for the prestigious World Performance Car Award,” said Nancy Carlson, strategic global alliances - sales director, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties. “For more than 30 years, Mobil 1’s leading technology has influenced the world’s top engineers and performance car enthusiasts with its outstanding engine protection and superior performance capabilities. We wish the three finalists the best of luck in their quest to become the 2008 World Performance Car.”

To be eligible for the 2008 World Green Car award, a vehicle had to available in at least one major market during 2007. The vehicle or the green technology could be in production or an experimental prototype with potential near-future application, provided that it was released for individual or press fleet evaluations in quantities of ten or more during 2007. Tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology (beyond engine componentry), aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle’s environmental responsibility, were all taken into consideration.

The forty-seven (47) member jury chose the following top three finalists for the 2008 World Green Car award:
• BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics
• SmartForTwo cdi
• Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI

Cars eligible for the 2008 World Car Design of the Year award are taken from the list of World Car candidates.

A design panel consisting of four highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts were:
• Silvia Baruffaldi: Managing Editor, Auto & Design magazine
• Robert Cumberford: design critic, Automobile and Auto & Design magazines
• Akira Fujimoto: Editor-in-Chief, Car Styling magazine.
• Tom Matano: Executive Director, School of Industrial Design, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, USA

Jurors then voted on the expert’s recommendations. The top three design finalists are, in alphabetical order:
• Audi R8
• Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
• Volvo C30

Now in their fifth year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the most prestigious and credible programs of their type in the world.

The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on a global scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.
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Yannis

Audi R8 Rulz.