2016 World Car Awards top three finalists

Following a second round of voting, organisers of the 2016 World Car Awards have revealed the top three finalists in each category.

Perhaps with such a large jury – 73 international motoring journalists were involved in the ballot – ending up with a consensus was always going to be difficult. Indeed, any model likely to polarise opinion risked getting sidelined in favour of less controversial choices which are not especially outstanding.

That certainly seems to have been the case with this year's main World Car of the Year prize. Could the Audi A4 really be named 2016's best new car? Sure, it's doubtless very capable, but the styling is virtually identical to the previous model's and there's nothing much to get excited about.

The top three finalists in alphabetical order are:

World Car of the Year
  • Audi A4 Sedan / Avant
  • Mazda MX-5
  • Mercedes-Benz GLC
Deserves to win: Mazda MX-5 by default. But nothing here represents a significant advance for their respective market segments.

Mazda MX-5 Sport Recaro (2016) Front Side

World Luxury Car of the Year
  • Audi Q7
  • BMW 7 Series
  • Volvo XC90
Deserves to win: Volvo XC90.

Volvo XC90 R-Design (2015) Side

World Performance Car of the Year
  • Audi R8 Coupé
  • Honda Civic Type R
  • Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé
Deserves to win: Audi R8 Coupé (because it's not merely a sporty version of a mainstream model). However, the Mercedes-AMG will probably emerge victorious.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupé Edition 1 (2016) Front Side

World Green Car of the Year
  • Chevrolet Volt (range extender)
  • Toyota Mirai (hydrogen fuel cell)
  • Toyota Prius (hybrid)
Deserves to win: Toyota Mirai, as it has the potential to popularise hydrogen as a fuel source.

Toyota Mirai (2016) Front Side

World Car Design of the Year
  • Jaguar XE
  • Mazda CX-3
  • Mazda MX-5
Deserves to win: Jaguar XE or Mazda MX-5.

Jaguar XE (2015) Front Side 1

All five winners are due to be announced at the New York International Auto Show on the 24th of March.

Related posts:
2016 European Car of the Year winner named
2016 World Car Awards finalists
2016 NACTOY winners

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