The World Car of the Year Awards 2019 will be handed out in April this year. The awards will be given at the New York Auto Show on April 17. There are a number of finalists for the coveted title of “World Car of the Year” (WCOTY) including the Volvo XC40, the Suzuki Jimny, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes A-Class among others.
Finalists for World Car of the Year 2019
- Audi e-tron
- BMW 3 Series
- Ford Focus
- Genesis G70
- Hyundai Nexo
- Jaguar I-PACE
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Suzuki Jimny
- Volvo S60/V60
- Volvo XC40
This year there are 15 car manufacturers globally who have sent in entries for World Car of the Year. Last year, the award was won by the Volvo XC60, while in 2017 it was bagged by the Jaguar F-Pace. There are a total of 38 cars in contention for different categories of awards.
There are six award categories at the World Car of the Year awards, including the main title award. The other categories are World Urban Car, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year.
This year the Suzuki Jimny is a strong contender in two award categories, including World Car of the Year and World Urban Car. What's interesting is that the made-in-India Hyundai Santro is also in the running for World Urban Car. It is the only made-in-India car in the list.
The nominees that the Hyundai Santro is up against include the Suzuki Jimny, Audi A1, Kia Soul and Seat Arona. Does it stand a chance? Well, it depends on what the jury is looking for in the Hyundai Santro.
There are 86 jury members from around the world – all auto journalists – including six from India.
The Hyundai Santro was relaunched in India in 2018 and is being exported to other markets as well. It has been on sale in India since 1998 and was discontinued in 2014. The new car is based on the Grand i10 platform and competes with the Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R.
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