Volkswagen ID.4 named World Car of the Year
EV wins WCOTY for first time as Defender, S-Class, 911 Turbo and Honda e claim minor titlesThe Volkswagen ID.4 has become the third electric vehicle to be named World Car of the Year, following the original Nissan LEAF in 2011 and the Jaguar I-PACE in 2019.
Likely to be the first Volkswagen EV to arrive in Australia by 2023, the battery-powered mid-size SUV is relatively affordable and reflects Volkswagen’s decision to lead the greening of European car-makers following the disastrous ‘dieselgate’ scandal that smeared its reputation around the world as an emissions cheat.
The VW ID.4’s win came thanks to the 93 judges from 28 countries that make up the WCOTY panel, although many would not have driven the car because of the global lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other category winners in the 2021 WCOTY awards are the Land Rover Defender for design, although it was not eligible for the overall award because of its high price in many countries, the Mercedes S-Class for luxury, the Porsche 911 Turbo for performance and the Honda e for urban driving.
Akio Toyoda, the transformational head of Toyota, was previously named as the World Car Person of the Year as part of the WCOTY judging.
Although conditions for the WCOTY contest were much tougher through 2020, the same process was applied for the contenders.
To be eligible, at least 10,000 vehicles must be produced, the car must on sale in at least two major markets on two continents and must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets.
The process led to 24 contenders for the 2020 award, although this was quickly trimmed through a process to focus on three final contenders and then the final vote.
The final three for 2021 were the ID.4, Toyota Yaris and Honda e city-car.
The ID.4 is the fifth Volkswagen model to win the Car of the Year, starting with the Golf 6 in 2009, the Polo in 2010, the Up! in 2012 and the Golf 7 in 2013.
As a reflection of the growing worldwide importance of EVs, when the search for the 2022 WCOTY begins at the New York Auto Show in August there will be a World Electric Vehicle of the Year award for the first time.
Related: Volkswagen ID.4 2021 Review
Related: Volkswagen’s Aussie EV rollout remains idle
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