World Car Finals Comes To New York City

Six categories. 14 different cars. The battle is on.

McLaren 720s Photo source McLaren Toronto — McLaren 720s (Photo source: McLaren Toronto)

To kick off the New York International Auto Show, the World Car Finals will take place on April 17, kicking off the week-long event in style.

The finalists for this prestigious award have been announced, with the Jaguar I-PACE leading the way. The all-electric Jaguar is up for World Car of the Year, World Green Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year.

Each category features three cars vying for the top prize. The Jaguar is joined by the Suzuki Jimny and the Audi e-tron as the only cars to be up for multiple awards.

The New York International Auto Show, which will take place in the Javits Center from April 19 to 28, will feature thousands of cars. The journey to become a finalist in this competition, though, took quite some time.

The Road to World Car, as the group calls it, is a yearly journey that follows more than 80 journalists from across the globe. The nonprofit group test drives vehicles of all manufacturers prior to voting for the most prestious ones of all. It includes journalists from Asia, Europe and North America, with a goal of complementing, but doesn’t want to “compete with existing national and regional COTY awards, which are inherently different in scope.”

This competition is different from the regional ones, the body says, because of its choice of vehicles. Many of the finalists are not available in specific regions, making this award one of the top in the world for auto makers.

The Road to World Car began on Oct. 2, 2018 in Paris, culminating with the New York City finale in April.

Screenshot 2019 03 18 All Models Luxury Sedans Sports Cars SUVs Jaguar USA — Jaguar I-PACE (Photo source: Jaguar USA)

Screenshot 2019 03 18 Audi e tron Electric Cars Audi USA Audi USA — Audi e-tron (Photo source:
Audi USA)

Among the top luxury cars nominated for the top prize are the Audi A7 and Q8, along with the BMW 8 Series. Each of the Audi machines have a slick, luxury look to their exteriors. Both include a V6 engine and can go from zero to 60 mph. in less than six seconds.

“The all-new A7 offers the best of three worlds—the spaciousness of a sedan and versatility of a sportback, with the emotional design of a coupe,” an Audi statement said. “A minimal use of chrome on the exterior allows the A7’s distinctive body proportions to stand out.”

Overall, Audi has placed three of its vehicles in this year’s top ranking. The e-tron is up for World Car of the Year and the World Green Car of the Year, a combination that the I-PACE has also achieved.

But it’s the Jaguar I-PACE that’s been making the most noise in 2019.

“It’s an all-electric vehicle that’s absolutely gorgeous,” Tony Anton, general manager of Jaguar Freeport, said. “The battery is actually located on the floor of the car, giving the center of gravity of the car so low that it’s the most stable car I’ve ever driven in my life.”

The I-PACE goes from zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds, and it has a range of up to 234 miles before it needs to be recharged. While it is all-electric, it still provides consumers with the same ingenuity that Jaguar is known for.

Meanwhile, in the World Performance Car of the Year category, there are three cars you literally can only dream of. Each of the three cars are insane, inside and out, knocking your socks off—literally and figuratively.

From the Aston Martin Vantage to the McLaren 720S and the Mercedes-Benz AMG four-door coupe. They are literally racecars that are street legal. The price tags range from about $140,000 for the Mercedes-Benz to $150,000 for the Aston Marton and an stunning $288,000 for the McLaren.

Once the awards are announced for 2019, the manufacturers will keep on fighting for this title come 2020.

The “Top Three In The World” finalists for each category are: