The Road to World Car

WORLD CAR AWARDS THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR BEGAN IN PARIS, SEPT. 29, 2016. ENDS IN NEW YORK, APRIL 12, 2017 INTRODUCTION Peter Lyon - Chairman, World Car Awards As the annual World Car Awards’ prize-giving ceremony Another significant addition to the ever-growing World Car rapidly approaches on April 12 at the New York International family was the announcement last year of Brembo SpA, Auto Show, it is time to reflect on some major developments maker of high performance brake parts, as presenting in the world’s No 1 car awards program in terms of media partner. Brembo joins Bridgestone, Autoneum and PRIME reach. Research as partners. From this year, WCA will be presenting trophies in six After the 75 jurors from 23 countries voted in two secret categories, as we add the inaugural World Urban Car to our internet ballots in January and February, and using results list of awards that includes the World Luxury Car, World tabulated by KPMG, the Top 3 finalists in all categories were Performance Car, World Green Car, World Car Design and revealed at the Geneva Motor Show on March 7. And for World Car of the Year. the first time, jurors and industry folk alike were surprised THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR TAKES MANY PATHS to see three crossovers monopolise all Top 3 spots for the where WCA will display several category winners inside a main World Car of the Year award, a result that reflects the dedicated stand on the show floor. changing nature of the marketplace. World Car is more than an awards program World Car started its 2017 awards program at the Paris Auto Show in September 2016, followed by a short stop World Car is more than just an awards program. It is a in Los Angeles in mid-November for a joint manufacturer resource for the industry with a focus on excellence and test drive that allowed jury members the opportunity to innovation on a global scale. evaluate two dozen eligible vehicles. Our role is not just to reward current achievement but to But without doubt the most critical development for World provide an insight into the future, via trend studies and Car over the past decade is our new ceremony time slot related initiatives and to foster innovation for that future. - we will now be opening the New York International Auto Show on the morning of April 12, moved one day forward See you at the New York International Auto Show on April from April 13. 12 for a prize-giving ceremony not to be missed. In front of an expected crowd of well over 500 media and OEM representatives, World Car Awards will stage a high profile prize-giving ceremony where we will announce the winners in six categories after presenting our annual Global Trends Report. WCA is also proud to announce that the organisation has just signed another 5-year contract with NYIAS to stage our awards ceremony and media breakfast at the Javits Center through 2021. The world’s No 1 awards program is also honoured to be World Car Awards jurors at the Geneva Motor Show in March, where invited back to the reborn London Motor Show in early May the Top 3 finalists in all categories were revealed THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR TAKES MANY PATHS YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION: THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW! BY GERRY MALLOY, WORLD CAR AWARDS DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT It’s the end of the road: New York, New York! It’s also among the largest, with 950’000 square-feet of “showroom space,” displaying almost 1000 cars, and more The Road to World Car for 2017 culminates with the than one-million visitors attending each year for the past presentation of the World Car Awards at the New York 22 years. International Auto Show on April 12. That attendance figure is hugely important, for it is the It’s the 11th consecutive year that the awards will be raison d’etre of auto shows everywhere. “Auto shows presented at the New York show and the beginning of a have always been about bringing in the public,” says Mark new era in two key respects: Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, who is responsible for the NYIAS. First, the WCA and NYIAS have agreed to continue that successful partnership for another five years; “They are marketing events… like trade shows, but for customers… they’re a place for manufacturers to show And second, the awards presentation ceremony has been moved from its traditional morning time slot on the second Media Day, to the show’s opening ceremonies on the first Media Day. A win-win situation for all involved. It’s a natural combination, for New York’s international stature – it has sometimes been called the unofficial capital of the world – is directly in sync with the global scope of the World Car Awards. Beyond the city itself, the New York International Auto Show holds a storied place in automotive history. Dating back to 1900, it was not only the first auto show in the United States, but one of the oldest of such spectacles in More than one-million visitors have attended each year for the the world. past 22 years THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR TAKES MANY PATHS their wares to potential buyers in a no-pressure, fun and show. They’re story fodder for us in generating that public exciting environment… and to get them directly involved enthusiasm, as well as attracting the public themselves. with the product,” he explains. It’s why the New York show, for example, will feature Illustrating that point, Schienberg says that exit surveys around 40 vehicle premieres this year. from last year’s show revealed 68-percent of attendees were in the market for a new vehicle within the next 12 It’s also why manufacturers sometimes tend to choose months. certain shows for the introduction of specific types of vehicles, depending on their local or regional markets – That aspect of auto shows is something those of us in the why Chicago, for example, has become a favourite for new automotive media may sometimes overlook. They’re not truck debuts. just about us. We are not the ultimate customers. In fact, our role is as intermediaries, to help generate interest in the In that manner, the New York show has sometimes been shows and/or the products among the actual customers. associated with luxury and exotic vehicles, for it is the biggest single market in the U.S. for such models. That’s why manufacturers’ new product debuts and futuristic concept cars are important elements of an auto But the fact is, it’s the biggest regional market for vehicles of all types, except perhaps pickup trucks, which is why it has become the venue for a broad base of new vehicle introductions. In the face of an industry that is rapidly changing in how it does business at every level, the auto show remains a core component of the communication link between manufacturers and customers – and the only one that physically immerses the customer with the product on a grand scale. “It’s a process that still works,’ says Schienberg. And Exit surveys from last year’s show reveal 68-percent of attendees the fact that attendance figures are not just stable but were in the market for a new vehicle within the next 12 months increasing at many shows reinforces the point. THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR TAKES MANY PATHS MORE THAN JUST AWARDS WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR IS “BY FAR THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND SIGNIFICANT” AWARDS PROGRAMME ON THE PLANET, SAYS AUDI BY MIKE RUTHERFORD, WORLD CAR AWARDS JUROR, DIRECTOR & VICE-CHAIR America, England, France, Germany, Japan, and Sweden punches above its weight by ensuring two of its firms go for go head to head for World Car glory on Wednesday April 12. three class wins (Performance, Design, WCOTY), and the same is true of Japan (Green, Urban, Design). The New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) will host the fierce but friendly - we hope - battle between these six But don’t write off France which aims to be crowned great vehicle-producing nations who, between them, have Urban Car king, or Sweden which fancies the Luxury gong. 13 elite manufacturers on their soil at this time. If current Intriguingly, the USA is strong in the Green Car sector it form is anything to by - and it is - there are no finer car- dominates this year - despite the perception that American building countries across the continents. firms only produce gas guzzlers. As in previous years, the 2017 World Car Awards ceremony In the past, maybe. But not any more, it seems. Conversely, is being staged at the USA’s busiest convention centre - Germany which has a healthy obsession for ecomental cars the multi-billion dollar Jakob K Javits Centre which graces and is spending countless billions bringing them to market a glorious 1.8 million sq ft (170,000 sq m) Manhattan site has no Green Top 3 finalists this year. That’s puzzling. And nestling between the Hudson River and the iconic New for the giant German auto firms, it’s unacceptable. Yorker and Empire State buildings. The only brand that can prevent the colossal VW Group The hugely impressive setting is highly appropriate for from snatching yet another World Car of the Year title is our annual prizegiving event. After all, the world’s number the comparative minnow that’s Jaguar whose F-PACE one automotive awards programme (according to PRIME Research and Audi!) needs a world-class venue in the heart of the world’s most exiting city.

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