Awards are big business in the car industry, as they mark out the very best new models in a market that is full of largely excellent vehicles in all sectors of the market.
The World Car of the Year Awards (WCOTY) were established in 2005, with a panel of judges from automotive media titles across the world coming together each year to evaluate the very best cars launched in the past 12 months.
Here is the 2018 roll of honour…
World Car of the Year
Volvo XC60
Volvo is a brand that’s on a roll at the moment, and the new XC60 is a prime example of exactly why. Stylish, beautifully made and brimming with the latest technology, it’s a brilliant SUV and a truly great family car.
“I am pleased to see our company’s product investments paying off,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Cars. “We are up against some tough competition, but this award for the XC60 shows that Volvo has the right combination of design, connectivity and safety that appeals to customers across the world.”
As the driver behind Volvo’s incredible turnaround, Håkan Samuelsson was also named World Car Person of the Year at the WCOTY ceremony, which took place at the New York Auto Show.
World Urban Car of the Year
Volkswagen Polo
A new Polo doesn’t come around very often, and its design tends to be one of evolution rather than revolution, but the new Volkswagen Polo is none the worse for that.
The smart, refined and sturdy new Polo saw off stiff competition from the Ford Fiesta and Suzuki Swift to take the 2018 accolade.
“The whole team at Volkswagen is delighted to have won the 2018 World Urban Car award with the Polo,” said Klaus Bischoff, head of Volkswagen Design. “With around 17 million units sold, the Polo is one of the most successful compact cars of all time and a pillar of the brand. And the sixth‐generation, based on the MQB platform, is even sportier and more grown up than its predecessors.”
World Green Car of the Year
Nissan Leaf
Nissan’s second-generation Leaf marks a first for WCOTY, as the only model to win the Green Car of the Year award twice. The original Leaf took the award, along with the prestigious WCOTY title, back in 2011.
The new Leaf is far more conventional than its predecessor, and enjoys better practicality and a longer range.
“We’re very proud that since Nissan Leaf launched in 2010, we’ve been able to put more than 300,000 zero‐emission electric vehicles on the road worldwide, helping to reduce carbon footprints around the globe,” said Daniele Schillaci, executive vice president of Zero Emissions at Nissan.
World Luxury Car of the Year
Audi A8
The newly-launched and super high-tech A8 saw off competition from two Porsche models, the Cayenne and the Panamera, to win the WCOTY Luxury Car award for 2018.
But then, the A8 is quite probably the best luxury car that money can buy at the moment, with class-leading autonomy, connectivity and safety technology.
“This award is a special honour for us and our flagship model,” said Peter Mertens, board member for technical development at Audi. “The A8 is an innovation driver for our entire industry. With its innovative touch control system, consistent broad‐based electrification and the technical prerequisites for highly automated driving, the A8 sets new standards in automotive engineering.”
World Performance Car of the Year
BMW M5
In a car industry that’s quickly evolving, sometimes it’s best to stick with a winning formula – and the latest BMW M5 does just that. It takes the already brilliant 5-Series saloon and evolves it into a finely honed and stupidly fast performance car – the quickest that BMW has ever made.
“We are very excited to receive this award from the World Car of the Year organisation,” said BMW chief executive officer Harald Kurger. “The 5-Series has always played an important part in the BMW product portfolio. With this sixth-generation 5-Series we are able to offer our customers a broad range of variants ranging from the extremely efficient BMW 530e plug‐in hybrid, all the way to the BMW M5, which is the quickest BMW ever built, reaching 0‐60 in under 3.2 seconds.”
World Car Design of the Year
Range Rover Velar
Ever since the Range Rover brand expanded to include the smaller ‘Sport’ model in 2010, the British SUV manufacturer has been exploring new niches.
The Velar, named after the prototype name used on the original 1970 Range Rover, fits where the Range Rover Sport did back in 2010, above the Evoque and below the current Sport, which sits where the range-topping Range Rover used to before it became a purely luxury object.
With sleeker, more streamlined styling, the Velar has a more youthful look to go with its more accessible pricing.
Gerry McGovern, chief design officer at Land Rover, said: “The continued evolution of our design philosophy is driven by a relentless focus on creating highly desirable vehicles that our customers will love for life. The Range Rover Velar brings a new dimension of modernity to the Range Rover family with an abundance of innovative technologies, all making this vehicle a joy to drive and be driven in.”