The Press Release:
The countdown to the 2026 World Car Awards is underway with the unveiling of the Top Ten and Top Five finalists across six World Car Awards categories. The winners will be announced during the 2026 New York Auto Show press preview on Wednesday, April 1. The New York Auto Show will host the World Car Awards for the twenty-first time, celebrating the vehicles that best represent innovation, performance, design, and the future of mobility. Finalists were selected by a jury of 98 automotive journalists from 33 countries, voting by secret ballot based on extensive real-world evaluation conducted as part of their professional work.
“We are proud to once again host this prestigious program in New York, where the industry’s top achievements will be celebrated on a truly international stage this April,” said Mark Schienberg, President of the New York Auto Show.
2026 World Car of the Year – Top Ten Finalists
Selected from an initial list of 58 eligible vehicles:
* Audi Q5 / SQ5
* BMW iX3
* BYD Seal 6 DM-i
* Hyundai Ioniq 9
* Hyundai Palisade
* Kia EV4
* Kia EV5
* Mercedes-Benz CLA
* Nissan Leaf
* Toyota RAV4
World Luxury Car – Top Five Finalists
* Audi A6 e-tron / S6 e-tron
* Audi A6 / S6
* Cadillac Vistiq
* Lucid Gravity
* Volvo ES90
World Performance Car – Top Five Finalists
* BMW M2 CS
* Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
* Defender OCTA
* Hyundai Ioniq 6 N
* Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro
World Electric Car – Top Five Finalists
* Audi A6 e-tron / S6 e-tron
* BMW iX3
* Hyundai Ioniq 9
* Mercedes-Benz CLA
* Nissan Leaf
World Urban Car – Top Five Finalists
* Alfa Romeo Junior
* Baojun Yep Plus / Chevrolet Spark EUV
* Firefly
* Hyundai Venue
* Wuling Binguo / Ari Poly
World Car Design of the Year – Finalists
* Firefly
* Kia PV5
* Lynk & Co 08
* Mazda 6e / EZ-6
* Volvo ES90
Winners in all six categories will be announced live on April 1, 2026, at the New York International Auto Show.
The World Car Awards program is supported by its official partners: AITASTIC Research & Consult, Brembo, KPMG, Newspress, and the New York International Auto Show.
The future starts here. The New York Auto Show is coming April 3-12 | Media April 1 & 2
ABOUT THE NEW YORK AUTO SHOW:
Since 1900, New York has been the staging location of North America’s oldest and largest-attended auto show. For over 120 years, the New York International Auto Show has continued to be the best place to experience and learn about new products the auto industry offers. Each year, the show provides the largest display of cars and trucks in one location to millions of car buyers in a unique experience. No other venue offers this kind of comprehensive and engaging forum, where new technology and designs can be viewed, explored, and enjoyed.
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Piercing Ken Thoughts: Though I don’t even have a car of my own anymore, I do love exploring the Javits Center during the media days of the New York International Auto Show. I always try to attend this ceremony when I do go because its great to mix and mingle with the folks behind many of these automobiles. Now since I have limited time today I will wrap this alert up and ask you out there in the readership what they think about the finalists for the World Car Awards and if they are considering attending one of the public days with friends and family when the NYIAS returns in April. At the time of this writing, the credentials registration hasn’t opened up but if I do attend you will see a whole lot of content. I’ll even fashion one of those “Convention Update” posts to alert those who are reading the website. See you next time.
Official: https://www.autoshowny.com/
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