The 2014 Cadillac CTS is a contender for another trophy as World Car of the Year.
It’s the annual awards season, but movie stars aren’t the only ones in the spotlight. And barely a month after hearing which models won as North American Car and Truck of the Year, we’ll soon learn what qualifies as the World Car of the Year.
That trophy is one of several that will be handed out during the upcoming New York International Auto Show. And organizers have today released their list of finalists.
The list could deliver a few surprises to show-goers at the big apple considering a quarter of the finalists aren’t available in the U.S. market, but the 69 international automotive journalists on the WCOTY jury aren’t limited by geographic barriers when making their choices.
In an unusual development, there are 12, rather than the normal 10 models, due to multiple ties, organizers explain:
- Audi A3
- BMW 4 Series
- BMW i3
- Cadillac CTS
- Citroen C4 Picasso
- Ford Fusion/Mondeo
- Infiniti Q50
- Jeep Cherokee
- Lexus IS
- Mazda3
- Peugeot 308
- Skoda Octavia
Last year’s World Car winner was the Volkswagen Golf – an all-new small car that won’t reach U.S. showrooms until later this year. VW has done exceedingly well in the World Car balloting in recent years, landing a trophy in 2012 for its little Up! model, after scoring wins in 2009 and 2010 for the earlier Golf and Polo models, respectively. Other recent winners have included the Nissan Leaf in 2011, the Mazda2 in 2008 and the Lexus LS460 in 2007.
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A tie in preliminary voting means there are 11 finalists in the 2014 World Performance Car category this year:
- Alfa Romeo 4C
- Audi RS 6 Avant
- BMW M6 Gran Coupe
- Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
- Ferrari 458 Speciale
- Ford Fiesta ST
- Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster
- Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG
- Porsche 911 GT3
- Porsche 911 Turbo
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
(Click Here to get a look at the Mercedes S-Class coupe.)
There are only a handful of models vying for the 2014 World Green Car award. Unlike the other categories, five experts in enviro-friendly technology help narrow the field for the 69 jurors who ultimately narrowed the field to five finalists:
- Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas)
- BMW i3
- Honda Accord Hybrid
- Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
- Volkswagen XL1
World Car jurors also will pick from 10 finalists for 2014 World Luxury Car, an all-new category including finalists:
- Bentley Flying Spur
- BMW X5
- Cadillac ELR
- Cadillac Escalade
- Maserati Ghibli
- Maserati Quattroporte
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Porsche Macan
- Range Rover Sport
- Rolls-Royce Wraith
The winners will be announced on April 17 at the N.Y. Auto Show.