We're another step closer to finding out the 2024 World Car of the Year, with the announcement of the top three contenders for overall victory revealed at the 2024 Geneva motor show this week. The prize is part of the World Car Awards, and CompleteCar.ie's own Shane O' Donoghue is a member of the judging panel, along with more than 100 other journalists from 29 countries across the globe.
For this year's award, the 20th anniversary of the World Car Awards, an initial list of 70 eligible vehicles was whittled down to a shortlist of 10 cars for the global judging panel to evaluate. The three finalists now go forwards to the World Car of the Year presentation, which takes place a month after the Geneva show, at the New York International Auto Show on 27 March.
All-electric final three
This year's three finalists are all EVs and consist of the BYD Seal executive saloon from China, the Kia EV9 seven-seat family SUV from Korea and the Volvo EX30 small premium SUV from Sweden. Whichever car wins this year, a new manufacturer will be taking the title of World Car of the Year, as Hyundai has won it for the past two years running with the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 electric models.
This year marks the first time that a Chinese manufacturer has been in the running for the grand prize, while Kia and Volvo have both won the WCotY title in the past. Kia claimed the title in 2020 with the US-market Telluride large SUV, and Volvo in 2018 with the current XC60.
As well as announcing the top-three World Car of the Year finalists, organisers have also revealed the three leading contenders in five other categories that are part of the annual prize giving. The three cars in each category were picked from a shortlist of five cars.
While the finalists for the main prize are all electric, they aren't the same finalists for the World Electric Vehicle award. The Kia EV9 and Volvo EX30 are carried over, but here they go up against the BMW i5, the all-electric version of the latest 5 Series executive saloon.
The BMW i5 makes another appearance in the World Luxury Car category alongside its combustion-engined 5 Series stablemate. Here it takes on two Mercedes models, the all-new E-Class and the electric EQE SUV.
SUV-dominated performance category
Three out of the five cars that were nominated for the World Performance Car award were SUVs, so it's no surprise that at least one made it to the final. More surprising is that the BMW XM edged ahead of the Ferrari Purosangue and Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid to take a slot alongside the BMW M2 coupe and electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
For the World Urban Car prize, the compact Volvo EX30 has made the shortlist alongside another small premium model, the Lexus LBX hybrid, while BYD has another nomination in the shape of the Dolphin.
Finally, the three cars chosen for the World Car Design of the Year prize have been picked by a panel of leading industrial designers, including former Renault styling chief Patrick le Quement and the UK's Frank Stephenson (designer of the BMW MINI, Fiat 500, McLaren P1 and more) for the World Car Awards panel to vote on. The three cars to make the final in this category are the US-market Ford Bronco 4x4, the Ferrari Purosangue SUV and the latest Toyota Prius.
All the finalists will be on display for the entirety of the Geneva motor show, while the whole judging process can be viewed at worldcarawards.com. The final will also be shown live on the YouTube channel WorldCarTV.