NEW DELHI: The 2021 World Car Awards, which celebrate the best cars around the globe, were announced in a virtual event on Tuesday night. This time around the awards specially recognised the widespread impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and applauded the industry for rising to the many challenges it has faced. Ninety-three distinguished international journalists from 28 countries make up the World Car Awards jury panel. This year cars across 5 categories were nominated—World Car of the Year, Urban Car of the Year, Performance Car of the Year, Luxury Car of the Year and the World Car Design of the Year.
Volkswagen ID.4
Mercedes-Benz S Class
Porsche 911
Honda e
Land Rover Defender
WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR
For the fifth time in the history of World Car Awards, a Volkswagen took home the coveted trophy, but it was rather unique. Beating the likes of Honda e and the Toyota Yaris, it was Volkswagen ID.4 which became the first electric car from the brand to win the award. This year’s winner was chosen from an initial entry list of 24 vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists was announced. Vehicles eligible for the World Car of the Year award must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units per year, must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and must be “on-sale” in at least two major markets, on at least two separate continents, between 1 May 2020 and 1 May 2021.
URBAN CAR OF THE YEAR
The Honda e was chosen from an initial entry list of seven cars from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists was announced. The top three in this category were the Honda e, the Honda Jazz/Fit and the Toyota Yaris. In this category apart from the conditions mentioned above, vehicles must be a maximum of 4.20 metres in overall length and be approved for operation on public roads. The electric hatchback was launched in Europe last year and its retro design theme and modern technology have really made the car popular in many markets where it is sold. It remains to be seen if Honda gets the hatchback to India.
PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR
The Porsche 911 Turbo emerged as the winner in this category beating the likes of Audi RS Q8 and the Toyota GR Yaris. This is the eighth World Car Award bagged by Porsche, making it one of the most awarded brands by WCOTY. The new-gen Porsche 911 Turbo is much more powerful than its previous generation. The 3,745 cc six-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine makes about 572 bhp and 750 Nm. Both are 40 bhp and 40 Nm more than the previous generation. It takes just 2.8 seconds for the car to reach speeds of 100 kmph from zero and even that is 0.2 seconds quicker than before.
LUXURY CAR OF THE YEAR
It is rather difficult to beat the ‘best car in the world’ wherever it is nominated. This is the fourth World Luxury Car win for Mercedes-Benz and the second time that the S-Class has won the title in the World Car Awards’ 17-year history. It was chosen from an initial entry list of ten cars from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists were announced. Apart from the winner, the other finalists were the Land Rover Defender and the Polestar 2. The new generation S-Class gets a more attractive design, along with many new features and the latest generation of Mercedes’ MBUX system. The car which made its global debut in September last year, will likely be launched in India later this year.
CAR DESIGN OF THE YEAR
The iconic Land Rover Defender took home the award for the car design of the year. This is the sixth World Car Design of the Year win for Jaguar Land Rover. No other manufacturer has received as many design awards in the history of these awards. The World Car Design of the Year category, and the corresponding award, are meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries. This year, the cars eligible for the 2021 World Car Design of the Year award encompassed all the contenders competing in the other four award categories. These were the Honda e and the Mazda MX30.