Auckland - Woman’s World Car of the Year is the only automotive competition of its kind to be judged by an all-female jury, and the 2022 contest is now in full swing, with the organisers having announced the winners in six different categories.
We’ll have to wait until International Women’s Day, on 8 March, to find out which vehicle is the overall winner, but for now let’s take a look at the winners of each category.
- Urban Model: Peugeot 308
- Family SUV: Kia Sportage
- Large Car: Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Large SUV: BMW iX
- Performance Car: Audi e-Tron GT
- 4x4: Jeep Wrangler
This year’s jury consists of 56 motoring journalists from 40 countries around the world, including South Africa’s Charleen Clarke.
Like most national COTY competitions, including the South African Car of the Year, this one rewards newly launched cars, with this year’s entrants all introduced between 1 January and 31 December 2021.
Factors taken into account in the judging of the cars includes safety, driving, comfort, technology, design, efficiency, environmental impact and value.
“The objective of the awards is to highlight the role of women in the car world and also to choose the best cars of the year,” the organisers said. “About voting, the criteria are based on the same principles that guide any driver when choosing a car.
“The selections are not ‘woman’s car’ because such categories do not exist. Aspects such as safety, quality, price, design, ease of driving, benefits and environmental footprint, among others, are taken into account when casting the votes.”
The Women’s World Car of the Year competition was created by New Zealand motoring journalist Sandy Myhre in 2009.