By Paul-Henri MATHA
I thought that Renault Scenic was the ‘Car of the Year 2024’. So, what a surprise when I read last week that the Kia EV9 was the ‘World Car of the Year 2024’. Then I took time to try to understand and Google is a really good friend for that purpose.
Car of the Year (COTY) is a widely-used award name. There’s at least one of them in the US, and numerous around the world. The big one we’re talking about here is a European award, selected by 61 journalists from 23 countries. Results were given during the Geneva International Motorshow. To be eligible for nomination, the car must be in production and commercially available in at least five European markets before 31 December of the current year.
The Renault scenic won 329 points, competing with BMW 5-series (308), Peugeot 3008 (197), Kia EV9 (190), Volvo EX30 (168), BYD Seal (131) and Toyota C-HR (127). Four of the seven finalists were BEVs, including the winner, and all finalists were full EV or PHEV versions. 2023’s winner was the Jeep Avenger, and in 2022 it was the Kia EV6.
World Car of the Year (WCOTY) is worldwide award, selected by 100+ global jurors from 32 countries in Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.
Vehicles eligible for World Car of the Year must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units/year, must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and must be actually 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 1 January 2023 to 30 March, 2024.
The Kia EV9 beat the BYD Seal and Volvo EX30. 2023’s winner was the Hyundai Ioniq6.
Subcategories were also awarded:
- World Luxury Car: BMW 5 Series / i5
- World Performance Car: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
- World Car Design: Toyota Prius
- World Urban Car: Volvo EX30
All in all, key takeaways:
- BEV cars got the award.
- SUVs got the COTY and WCOTY award—no sedans, hatchbacks, or wagons.
- Lighting elements looks nice, with premium execution. These vehicles represent the general trends in exterior lighting:
Slim headlamps (maximum 20 mm high):
Homogeneous signature
Pixelization and sequential welcome
3D shapes
Lit grilles
