2012 World Car of the Year predictions

February 12th, 2012 - Daniel Barron

The top 10 finalists have been chosen, with the overall winner being announced at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. Which will take the crown from the Nissan Leaf, the winner in 2011?

Audi A6 Sedan / Avant – Audi seems to be in the running for several big awards every year, and 2012 is no exception. Having both the sedan and wagon variants of the stunning new A6 included in this list is sure to improve its chances even more, as Europeans love their wagons and North Americans love their four-doors. Odds are very good this vehicle could be at the top of the podium when all is said and done.

Audi Q3 – Large sport utility vehicles are becoming more of a rare breed these days, and critics and consumers alike tend to sing the praises of smaller sport utility vehicles like the Q3. That said, we wouldn’t bet the farm on the Q3, as the other Audi in the running for car of the year seems like the stronger choice overall.

BMW 1 Series – A darn fun vehicle to drive, but this just doesn’t scream “Car of the Year” to us. When push comes to shove, its bigger brother is more likely to take the top prize.

BMW 3 Series – Considered by many to be one of the best all-around vehicles in the world, there’s every reason to believe the newest 3 Series could take the crown in this years competition. With its superb mix of sportiness and luxury, this is a top contender in 2012.

Chevrolet Volt / Opel/Vauxhall Ampera – With the all-electric Nissan Leaf taking the top prize in 2011, could an electric-vehicle (albeit a range-extended model) win for the second year in a row? Although it’s an impressive vehicle and has won numerous awards, our gut says it won’t take top honours in 2012.

Citroen DS5 – Having never driven a Citroen, it’s tough to know just how good the DS5′s chances are this year. A few Citroens have been in the top 10 in previous years, but none have managed to do well compared to the other nine vehicles. As intriguing as the DS5 sounds on paper, we’re not convinced this vehicle can hold its own against some strong competitors.

Ford Focus – With this global vehicle, Ford has had a chance to show off what it can really do with the Focus compact car. North America has been stuck with a shadow of the “other” Focus that has always been sold in different countries around the world. Now that it’s able to impress so many journalists on so many continents, this could very much be the winner.

Land Rover Evoque – Could a World Car of the Year win follow this vehicle’s North American Car of the Year victory? We’re guessing no. There’s no doubt people like the Evoque, but wethinks it should be happy with its other win in Detroit, and not hold its breath for another huge win.

Porsche 911 – Another year, another rock-solid sports car from Porsche. This time, it’s the latest generation of the iconic 911, yet as good as it is, we think it has a better chance of taking the top prize in the World Performance Car of the Year category, which the 911 is also up for.

Volkswagen Up! – It may have one of the peppiest car names ever, but that won’t help this tiny vehicle win any awards against such tough competition. Granted, fuel-efficient vehicles are all the rage these days, but there’s still plenty of those on this list. We don’t think a win for the Up! is in the cards.

2 comments

  1. zico says:

    pleased to see Hyundai’s cars are not on the list. not that they are bad, but really sick to see how they just rip off others ( copy ) rather than designing their own.

  2. Joe Duarte says:

    zico – when you look at the Veloster, Elantra, Sonata, Tucson or Accent … which companies’ designs do you see in them that would lead you to believe they were “ripped off”?

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