Trio of Kia Models Named Among Finalists in 2023 World Car Awards

Elsewhere in the Cowboy Kia blog, we have mentioned that the Kia EV6 has been awarded North American Car of the Year. It was named the European Car of the Year as well. Upping the ante, models from the EV6 and Niro model lines have been named finalists in three World Car of the Year award categories, including the overall award.

This is the 19th year for the World Car of the Year (WCOTY) awards, and for the last ten has been the number one awards program in the world in terms of media reach and analysis of forty-seven top global markets. Its stated goal is to: “To recognize, reward, and inspire automotive excellence, leadership, and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry on a global scale.”

“The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize, reward, and inspire excellence, leadership, and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry,” said Jens Meiners, chair, 2023 World Car Awards. 

 The jurors include 100 automotive journalists from 31 countries including all the large automobile-producing nations as well as others in Central and South America, East Asia, Africa, and former Eastern-bloc countries. All qualifying models must be newly introduced and be “on-sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents within the period January 1, 2022 and March 30, 2023.”

Kia Models are Finalists in Electric, Performance, and Overall World Car Categories

With its stunning 567 horsepower, the EV6 GT is one of five finalists in the 2023 World Performance Car category which is defined as “produced in volumes of at least 1,000 units/year, must be overtly performance-focused in overall character. Other finalists include the Nissan Z, Toyota GR Corolla, BMW M4 CSL, and Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

The Niro EV is one of five finalists for the World Electric Vehicle category. Qualifications require that it be powered solely by one or more electric motors and must be produced in volumes of at least 5,000 units/year. Interestingly, three out of the five finalists also come from the Hyundai Group which in addition to the Niro EV, includes the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and the Genesis GV60. The other two models are the Lucid Air and BMW i7. The Kia Telluride won this award in 2020.

The Niro model line is listed as among the top three of ten finalists for the overall World Car of the Year award which can be of any vehicle type but must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units per year. The finalists include a mix of crossovers, EVs, and performance cars. The other three categories of the World Car of the Year program are World Urban Car, World Luxury Car, and World Car Design of the Year. 

“We are honored to receive these nominations from the highly regarded panel of World Car Awards jurors,” said Steven Center, COO & EVP, Kia America. “With all three finalists powered by electrification, our commitment and dedication to our “Plan S” strategy is even more apparent as our hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs continue to gain acclaim.”  

The winners will be announced live at an awards ceremony at the 2023 New York International Auto Show on April 5, 2023. As much as you read about them, nothing beats looking at a vehicle in person. We invite you to visit Cowboy Kia and see how these models have been considered among the world’s finest for what they do.