Before the winners can be announced, though, the committee has named the top three finalists in each category. The nominees for the 2016 World Car of the Year award are:
The jury also selects winners in individual categories as well, with the finalists for 2016 World Luxury Car of the Year consisting of the Audi Q7, BMW 7 Series, and Volvo XC90. The Performance finalists are the Audi R8, Honda Civic Type R, and Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe, while the Chevy Volt, Toyota Mirai, and Toyota Prius are up for the World Green Car of the Year award. Finally, the top Design award comes down to the Jaguar XE, Mazda CX-3, and Mazda MX-5.
The nominations put both Audi and Mazda in good position to win both the top award and more, with the German and Japanese brands each nominated three times. Mercedes and Toyota also have two finalists each, with BMW, Chevy, Jaguar, Honda, and Volvo also represented. The winners will be announced on March 24, so watch this space.