The winners of the 2013 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards were recently named at the Detroit Auto Show, and in just a few weeks we’ll know the winner of the 2013 European Car of the Year awards.
However, the countdown has only just begun for the 2013 World and Performance Car of the Year awards, the New York Auto Show’s annual awards event, which is now in its ninth year and increasingly becoming one the most prestigious awards in the global automotive industry.
The finalists for the 2013 World Car of the Year are:
Audi A3
Land Rover Range Rover
Mazda Mazda6
Mazda CX-5
Mercedes-Benz A Class
Peugeot 208
Porsche Boxster/Cayman
Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86
Volkswagen Golf
Volvo V40
And the finalists for the 2013 Performance Car of the Year are:
Aston Martin Vanquish
Audi RS 5
BMW M6 Coupe/Convertible
BMW M135i
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
Porsche Boxster/Cayman
Renaultsport Clio 200 EDC
Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86
Last year the World title went to the Volkswagen up! and the Porsche 911 claimed the Performance title.
As with every year, the awards also see prizes going to the ‘Green’ car of the year and the ‘Design’ of the year. The lists here are shorter, with the Renault Zoe, Smart Electric Drive, Tesla Model S, Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid and Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid Diesel making it into the finals for the Green Car of the Year awards, and the Aston Martin Vanquish, Renault Clio Jaguar F-Type, Range Rover, Mazda6 and Volkswagen Golf making it into the finals for the Design award.
2013 Land Rover Range Rover
To be eligible, the candidates must become available for sale on at least two continents and in five countries during the period beginning January 1, 2012 and ending May 30, 2013. For this reason, many popular American models are not applicable for the awards, though we’re quite surprised that the Cadillac ATS, despite being a nominee, was overlooked.
The top three finalists in all award categories will be announced at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show on March 5, while the winners in each of the categories will be announced at the 2013 New York Auto Show on March 28, the second of two press days.
If we were the betting type, we’d put our money on the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta winning the Performance title and either the Range Rover or Golf winning the World title. Tell us what you'd favor in the comments below.
