World Car of the Year: 2019 Contenders Announced

It’s that time of the year again for the World Car of the Year process to get rolling. It wasn’t very long ago that the Volvo XC60 was given the title for 2018.

But the process of whittling down contenders is a long one, so the first step is now, with the announcement of the long list of contenders in a variety of categories, including World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car of the Year, World Performance Car of the Year, World Green Car of the Year and World Urban Car of the Year.

The evaluation process to come will narrow down the choices in each category; the three finalists in each category will be named at Geneva next March, and the ultimate winners will once again be announced at the New York auto show, next taking place in April 2019.

INFINITI QX50 | Photo: INFINITI

As these awards are global in scope, many of the models listed are not sold in North America. What’s more, the list also includes models that haven’t even launched yet, for example Cadillac’s XT4 crossover, Audi’s e-tron and the upcoming next-generation BMW 3 Series.

Here’s the full list of contenders for the 2019 World Car of the Year awards:

World Car of the Year
    Acura RDX
    Audi e-tron
    Audi A1
    Audi A6
    Audi Q3
    BMW 3 Series
    BMW i8 Roadster
    BMW X2
    Cadillac XT4
    Citroen C5 Aircross
    Dacia Duster
    Ford Focus
    Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid
    Hyundai Santa Fe
    Hyundai Nexo
    Infiniti QX50
    Jaguar E-Pace
    Jaguar I-Pace
    Jeep Cherokee
    Jeep Wrangler
    Kia Ceed/Forte
    Kia Niro EV
    Kia Soul
    Lexus ES
    Lexus UX
    Nissan Altima
    Nissan Kicks
    SEAT Arona
    Subaru Forester
    Suzuki Jimny
    Toyota Avalon
    Toyota Corolla
    Toyota RAV4
    Volvo S60/V60
    Volvo XC40

World Luxury Car of the Year
    Audi A7
    Audi Q8
    BMW 8 Series
    Mercedes-Benz GLE
    Volkswagen Touareg

World Performance Car of the Year
    Aston Martin Vantage
    BMW M2 Competition
    Hyundai Veloster N
    Kia Ceed GT
    McLaren 720S

World Green Car of the Year
    Audi E-Tron
    BMW i8 Roadster
    Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid
    Honda Insight
    Hyundai Nexo
    Jaguar I-PACE
    Kia Niro EV
    Lexus ES Hybrid
    Lexus UX Hybrid
    Toyota Avalon Hybrid
    Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

World Urban Car of the Year
    Audi A1
    BMW X2
    Kia Soul
    SEAT Arona
    Suzuki Jimny

Acura RDX | Photo: Acura

Cadillac XT4 | Photo: D.Boshouwers

BMW X2 | Photo: Auto123.com