BMW 4 Series and BMW i3 is Final Three for 2014 World Car of the Year Awards

At a press conference at the Geneva International Motor Show, the top three finalists for the World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year awards were announced yesterday and the BMW i3 and BMW 4 Series makes it to the top of three categories.

The overall winners in all categories will be declared at the New York International Auto Show on April 17, 2014.

From an initial entry list of twenty-four new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of finalists for the World Car of the Year, the top three contenders for the overall 2014 World Car of the Year title have been revealed (in alphabetical order by manufacturer): Audi A3, Mazda3 and BMW 4 Series.

For the World Green Car, the jurors chose these top three finalists for 2014: Audi A3 Sportback g-tron (+ Audi e-gas), Volkswagen XL1 and the BMW i3.

For the World Car Design of the Year, a design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The jurors chose the following top three finalists: Mazda3, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW i3.

The World Car Awards is now in their tenth year, the annual World Car Awards are now the number one awards program in the world based on Prime Research’s 2013 report. 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 and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany), Mike Rutherford (U.K.), Eddie Alterman (USA), and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.