As the year winds closer to Christmas and 2020, the inevitable slew of global Car of the Year titles gains momentum. Shameless plug; you should check out ours ... and if you vote in the AA People's Choice Award category by this Saturday, November 30, you go into the draw to win an eight-night Fiji cruise for two.
Anyway, among the COTY festivities the European Car of the Year crown is one of the most coveted. And after an interesting year of motoring the global group of jurors has revealed its top-seven shortlist.
Listed alphabetically, the final seven comprises the BMW 1-Series, Ford Puma, Peugeot 208, Porsche Taycan, Renault Clio, Tesla Model 3, and Toyota Corolla.
It might not be the most riveting list of cars, admittedly. The Taycan and Tesla are rapid EV wonders to be sure, but the rest of the list is largely (perhaps refreshingly) made up of economy-focused cars.
But, what makes the list quite curious is how it largely dodges one of the world's biggest current motoring trends; SUVs. Just one SUV makes it into the final seven — the Puma, a sports-car badge from the blue oval's past brought back to life. That's despite the global attitude and buying habits seeing numerous brands (ironically including Ford) scaling back or entirely removing small cars and sedans from selected line-ups.
Naturally there are no utes either (Europe doesn't quite share the enthusiasm for them that New Zealand and Australia have).
“This shortlist is representing the current development directions in the automotive business”, said Frank Janssen, President of the Car of the Year Jury. “We see electrification in progress, as well as the highest standard in internal combustion engines.”
“Electric vehicles are represented by the Porsche Taycan, as well as by the Tesla Model 3, but also making their way into mass market as shown by the Peugeot 208 that will be available as an electric version. The BMW 1-Series underlines that internal combustion engine technology still has a huge potential.”
The final round of voting for the award will take place at the end of February next year, with the eventual winner revealed at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show on March 2.
Last year the Jaguar I-Pace took the top gong, ahead of the Alpine A110 sports car and Kia Ceed. Going backwards chronologically, the Volvo XC40, Peugeot 3008, Opel Astra, Volkswagen Passat, Peugeot 308, Volkswagen Golf, Opel Ampera (Holden Volt), Nissan Leaf, and Volkswagen Polo have also claimed the top prize this decade.
