2014 World Car Awards top three finalists

The top three finalists in the five 2014 World Car Awards categories have been revealed, following a second round of voting by a jury of sixty-nine international motoring journalists.

World Car of the Year
  • Audi A3
  • BMW 4 Series
  • Mazda3
BMW 4 Series Convertible Modern (2014) Front Side
BMW 4 Series Convertible

This main prize clearly demonstrates that different juries can come up with very different results. For instance, the Peugeot 308 was included on the World Car Awards shortlist but hasn’t made it through to the top three. However, the very same car has just been named 2014 European Car of the Year.

World Performance Car
  • Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
  • Ferrari 458 Speciale
  • Porsche 911 GT3
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (2015) Rear Side
Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Given that 911 GT3 deliveries have recently been halted because of a fire risk, a win for the Porsche would be ironic. That would leave the Corvette as an apparent favourite, although it’s worth noting that some strong contenders (including the Alfa Romeo 4C and BMW M6 Gran Coupé) were rejected.

World Luxury Car
  • Bentley Flying Spur
  • Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  • Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG (2014) Front Side
Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG

Cadillac and Maserati had two models each on the shortlist, but none of them progressed to the top three. The S-Class is a strong contender for an overall victory, but the Range Rover’s breadth of abilities will be in its favour.

World Green Car
  • Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas)
  • BMW i3
  • Volkswagen XL1
BMW i3 (2014) Front Side
BMW i3

Perhaps surprisingly, the BMW i3 isn’t named on the World Car of the Year top three despite it being a finalist. In this category though an outright triumph is almost expected.

World Car Design of the Year
  • BMW i3
  • Mazda 3
  • Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Mazda 3 Fastback (2014) Front Side
Mazda 3 Fastback

With this award being extremely subjective, a winner is hard to predict. Nevertheless, the C-Class arguably stands a strong chance because the new model is much more than a gentle evolution of its predecessor.


The five World Car Awards winners will be declared at the New York International Auto Show on the 17th of April.

Related posts:
2014 European COTY winner
2014 World Car Awards finalists
2014 NACTOY winners

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