World car of the year 2011

Leaf, A8 and 5 Series Competing For World Car Title

The finalists for the “World car of the year, 2011″ title in general category are Audi A8, BMW 5 series and the Nissan Leaf EV. For the first time an electric vehicle competes head to head with cars that use conventional power. These three cars are chosen as the finalists of 2011 WCOTY out of 39 nominees who were competing against each other.

The jury includes 66 automotive journalists from 24 countries. According to WCOTY rules, a model must be available in at least two continents and five countries from January 1, 2010 to May 30, 2011, to compete for the WCOTY title. Apart from WOCTY, there are three more categories, with three finalists each.

They are “2011 World performance car of the year”, competed by Ferrari 458 Italia, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Porsche 911 Turbo. The “2011 World Green Car of the Year”, competed by BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics Edition, Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. The “2011 World car design of the year”, competed by Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Aston Martin Rapide and Ferrari 458 Italia.

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CAR AWARDS ?
Initially conceived and created March 2003, the awards were officially launched in January 2004. The first award was handed out for the 2005 model year.

The awards are a program initiated by, organized by, and conducted by automotive journalists from all over the world.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of distinguished automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America.

The first Steering Committee was established in January 2004 in Detroit, USA.

The World Car head office is based in Toronto, Canada.

The awards are intended to complement, not compete with those existing national and regional COTY awards, which are inherently different in scope.

There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

CRITICAL PATH / TIMELINE:
May / June: Nomination of new jurors

June: List of eligible vehicles established by jurors.

July to December: Jurors drive and evaluate eligible vehicles if they have not already done so on various press trips.

January: First round of voting and Top Ten finalists announced.

February / March:  Final round of voting and Top Three finalists announced at Geneva International Motor show.

March / April: World Car winners announced at the New York International Auto Show.

WHO ARE THE JURY MEMBERS?
A volunteer jury of over 60 distinguished automotive journalists represents the world’s most significant automotive outlets. All hold significant stature with their own regions and countries, which include: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.

Jurors are appointed for one, two, or three year terms to provide continuity.

Jurors must conduct regular road-tests as part of their on-going professional work.

The complete list of jurors can be found on this web site by country or by individual profile. See menu at right.

HOW ARE CARS NOMINATED ?
Each jury member submits a proposed list of eligible vehicles for consideration.

A provisional list is circulated to manufacturers to ensure no car has been overlooked and to confirm regional availability deadlines.

The final list is confirmed in June of each year.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
World Car of the Year 2011
• Candidates for this award must become available for sale on at least two continents during the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending May 30, 2011.

World Performance Car 2011
• Can be a performance variant of an existing car.
• May also be on the overall World Car of the Year candidate list.
• Must be available in units of at least 500/year
• Must be introduced and available for sale in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending May 30th, 2011

World Car Design of the Year 2011
• Candidates may be on the overall World Car of the Year list OR may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is introduced and available for sale in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending May 30th, 2011

World Green Car 2011
• The candidates must be all-new or substantially revised and in production and introduced for sale or lease to the public in quantities of at least 10 in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending May 30th, 2011

AND one or more of the following “green” criteria must be satisfied:

a. Tailpipe emissions equal to or better than California PZEV or US EPA Tier 2, Bin2, or Euro VI regulations, or equivalent.

b. Fuel consumption equal to or lower than 4.0 L/100km (58.2 mpg US) combined (55% City + 45% Highway) or equivalent (blended fuel volume if flex-fuel) or CO2 emissions of 100 g/km or less.

c. Use of a major advanced power plant technology (beyond engine componentry) aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle's environmental responsibility (e.g. hybrid, fuel cell, etc.)

(NOTE: Flex-fuel technologies will be considered only in cases where the vehicles are available in countries where the infrastructure for both fuels is broadly established.)

WHAT IS THE VOTING PROCESS?
Jurors are provided with WCOTY Rating Forms, describing 20 separate parameters to be considered – everything from styling and quality to performance and safety.

Each parameter is rated from 1 to 10, in half point increments, using a standardized Subjective Rating Scale, to promote consistency.

The first round of voting establishes the Top-Ten list of eligible vehicles.

The second round of voting chooses winners. Five key parameters are used on ballot: merit, value, safety & environment, significance and emotional appeal.

The ballots tabulated by the international accounting firm of KPMG.

SPECIALTY AWARDS:
The World Car of the Year Awards are intended to reflect today’s automotive industry and market trends. Accordingly, three specialty awards were added to the World Car of the Year awards line-up in October 2005.

The three specialty awards are currently: World Green Car, World Performance Car, and World Car Design of the Year.

There are additional specialty awards in the works, e.g. World Safety Award and World Urban Mobility Award. The additional awards will be launched when warranted.

Panels of international experts in the design and “green” fields are chosen to assist the jurors by developing a short list of finalists in these categories. The jurors then vote on the experts’ short-listed recommendations.

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