We pay attention not only to mandatory car accessories, but also to those that, although not…
In the opinion of moto-journalists
WCOTY (New York)
It is commonly believed that the media is the fourth power. Half jokingly, half seriously, let's look at... automotive journalists from this angle. Part of their profession is testing and describing impressions from driving cars, which we can then use as a guide when choosing and purchasing our own four wheels. In the multitude of increasingly numerous media and publications, the votes awarded in plebiscites such as Car of the Year stand out.
According to Europe – Car of the Year
Each of us probably knows this European plebiscite Car of the Year. Its distinctive logo later appears in advertisements and publications related to the selected car. It is the oldest competition of this type in the world, its history dates back to 1964. Currently, the jury consists of 60 journalists representing 23 countries, including two from Poland - Wojciech Sierpowski and Maciej Ziemek.
Models that debuted on the European market in the last year and are available in at least five countries at the time of voting can be entered into the plebiscite. This is enough time for drivers to decide about their popularity first. Later, the jurors take part and, after a series of road tests, select the final seven. This year, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Audi A8, BMW 5 Series, Citroen C3 Aircross, Kia Stinger, SEAT Ibiza and Volvo XC40 competed for the CotY title. So we have a full cross-section of segments and, therefore, varied prices. The latter plays an important role when we are planning a purchase - also used car.
And this aspect is also taken into account by the jurors. This is confirmed by the victories of, for example, Toyota Yaris (2000), Fiat Panda (2004), Renault Clio (2006), Volkswagen Polo (2010) and Opel Astra (2016). We see these models on Polish roads every day.
(photo: My Car)
Innovation is also important when choosing, but let's look at examples from the recent past. At a time when there is a lot of talk about electromobility, only two models with such a drive were appreciated here - Nissan LEAF (2011) and Opel Ampera (2012).
For several years, the results of the plebiscite for the European Car of the Year have been held just before the press days of the Geneva International Auto Show. In this year's edition, this title was awarded to the Volvo XC40 crossover. And as it turns out, this is not the only distinction for this brand!
Behind the Great Water
North America is a completely different story. While we associate brands such as Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac and Lincoln, the Altima, Contour, Flex, Odyssey, Pacifica and Soltice models sound at least exotic. These are also countries, I mean the USA and Canada, dominated by large cars with powerful engines and automatic transmissions. It is therefore not surprising that the equivalent of the European CotY has the long name North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards (NACTOY), which can be translated as Plebiscite for American passenger cars, commercial vehicles and trucks. Naturally, the Utility heading covers Van and SUV models, and the Truck heading includes all pick-ups and vans.
Surprisingly, the NACTOY plebiscite has a shorter history - the first edition took place in 1994. The jury consisting of 60 journalists (so as large a group as from all over Europe) who two years ago nominated us for two categories - passenger cars and "commercial vehicles and trucks". In 2017, the growing segment of crossovers and SUVs in the US was finally noticed and it was decided to separate the latter category.
This year's NACTOY winners are: car - Honda Accord, utility - Volvo XC60 and truck - Lincoln Navigator. The North American awards are presented on the eve of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. So in the cradle - let's not be afraid to use this phrase - of global motorization. This is where Ford, General Motors and Chrysler come from.
Global elections
In addition to the annual plebiscite for the European and North American car of the year, some countries have their own editions - from Japan, through India (here is an interesting exotic), through South Africa (European standards) and Australia, in a circle.
But the most prestigious vote - and the title desired by manufacturers - is World Car of the Year. Only here you can see a cross-section of the global automotive industry. Wait a minute, that's a false assumption! If we follow the fourteen-year (sic!) history of WCotY, the competition was dominated by models from European companies, and the vast majority of statuettes went to Germany.
As befits the "global" name of the competition, we have more categories. This year, the title of World Urban Car went to Volkswagen Polo, World Green Car to Nissan LEAF, World Car Design to Range Rover Velar, World Performance Car to BMW M5, World Luxury Car to Audi A8, and World Car of the Year 2018 to Volvo XC60. So we have a triple crown for a brand with Swedish origins. Today, Volvo, as well as Land Rover, formally belong to the Indian concern Tata Motors.
The announcement of the winners of the World Car of the Year 2018 also took place before the press days of the motor show. This time the second largest in the USA, i.e. the New York International Auto Show. Among over 80 jurors from all over the world, including those from 13 European countries, we have a representative from Poland. It is journalist Maciej Pertyński.
Instead of a summary, I have a question. When choosing a car, did you take into account the results of the Car of the Year plebiscite? Remember that once the title is granted, it is valid for subsequent years, including when we buy used ones.
