WORLD CAR AWARDS THE ROAD AHEAD

[Pages:13]WORLD CAR AWARDS

THE ROAD AHEAD

JANUARY 2018

INTRODUCTION Peter Lyon - Chairman, World Car Awards

Happy New Year. And welcome to World Car's 14th year and fifth as the planet's No 1 car awards program in terms of media reach. Speaking of media exposure, many drive stories from our Los Angeles Test Drives last November have, or are in the process of, appearing in global publications and websites. So keep an eye out for those.

By the time this newsletter reaches you, our 82 jurors would have just completed their first round of online voting and KPMG would have tabulated those secret results and prepared them for our second round in February, a time when we select this year's winners in six categories.

Jurors may have already voted in five categories ? WCOTY, Performance, Luxury, Green and Urban ? to whittle down the contenders for this year, but as far as our sixth award, the World Car Design of the Year, is concerned, we look forward to some extra styling expertise. Legendary designers Gordon Murray and Shiro Nakamura will join World Car's four other design experts to narrow down the field of over 30 contenders this year.

And just as the first voting round got underway, the motor show season started in earnest with the CES and Detroit Auto Shows happening back to back.

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Many of our jurors attended both events to check out upcoming models and focus on the latest developments in self-driving, electrification, facial recognition technology, A.I. and connectivity.

For the third year in a row, World Car will display at least two category-winning vehicles at a special stand inside the London Motor Show site from May 17-20.

The World Car steering committee would like to take this opportunity to welcome Japanese luxury leather goods manufacturer, Neu Interesse as World Car's most recent official supporter who teamed up with us in early 2018.

We look forward to seeing you at the Bridgestone stand in Geneva for our inaugural World Car Person of the Year trophy presentation and at the Javits Center for our prizegiving ceremony in New York City.

Until then, safe travels.

The motor show season has started in earnest with typically spectacular NAIAS and CES events

World Car is always looking to develop as well. In addition to announcing the finalists in six categories inside the Bridgestone stand at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6, we will for the first time introduce the World Car Person of the Year award to a distinguished member of the automotive community.

Following on from 2017, we will once again open the New York International Auto Show on March 28 with our media breakfast and high profile awards ceremony in front of over 600 media and OEM representatives.

World Car will display at least two category-winning vehicles at a special stand inside the London Motor Show

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WORLD CHAMPIONS IN THE MAKING

BY MIKE RUTHERFORD, DIRECTOR AND VICE-CHAIRMAN, WORLD CAR AWARDS

Twenty vehicle manufacturers from across Asia, Europe and North America are through to the final stages of the 2018 World Car Awards.

Nine of those finalists are in the running for the most talked about, sought after and important automotive award on the planet - the 2018 World Car of the Year title.

It's no great shock that familiar stalwarts and past WCOTY winners such as BMW, Mazda, Nissan and VW have been voted into the prestigious Top Ten this time around. But fast-improving Kia and born again Alfa Romeo are welcome additions to that ten-strong list, too - as is a buoyant Volvo which can do little wrong at present.

Volkswagen's new Polo: Out of the running for WCOTY, but in with a chance for World Urban Car glory

The same goes for Land Rover which has just achieved the unthinkable by winning enough votes to ensure that two of its all-new models are in a position to compete for WCOTY glory.

Nissan, with its new LEAF, will be defending the title it won with the original version back in 2011. And although Volkswagen should be relieved that its T-Roc has qualified, there must be disappointment at the company's HQ in Wolfsburg that its latest version of the Polo did not.

That elimination was unexpected but is possibly a sign of the times. After all, Volkswagen has been producing Polo superminis for the last 43 years. And its latest (sixth generation) version that will see it through to Polo's 50th birthday is not as cute, distinctive and VW-like as its predecessors.

But at least the all-new Polo stands a one in five chance of claiming the World Urban Car crown at our prize-giving ceremony in New York on the morning of March 28.

This year VW was hoping to repeat what it achieved in 2010 when it won the WCOTY trophy with its (previous generation) Polo. But a follow up victory in 2018 is not to be, following the revelation that the latest version of its big-selling supermini has not earned Top 10 status and is therefore out of the WCOTY running.

VW knows it's up against stiff competition, though - from conventional, up to 4.2m long superminis such as the Ford Fiesta, Nissan Micra and Suzuki Swift, plus the cleverlydesigned Hyundai KONA SUV which looks large in the flesh, but is in fact only 4.165m long and therefore just within the new World Urban Car rules.

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It's a hugely important category this, as small cars already sell in colossal numbers in Europe and Asia and will become increasingly popular as demand intensifies for precious road space and parking bays across the globe. All over the world the trend is that more people are moving from rural to urban areas in search of employment and improved social lives. This has to mean that small (but not necessarily tiny) cars are the future for the motoring masses.

Over the years Audi has been awarded eight World Car trophies - that's more than any other company has won in the history of the competition. But its German and Japanese rivals in the World Luxury Car class are highly impressive this year, so the serial World Car winner from Ingolstadt may struggle to beat exciting offerings from BMW, Lexus and Porsche - the latter having a 40 per cent chance of winning the category thanks to the inclusion of the Panamera and Cayenne.

But both Audi (with RS 3) and Lexus (LC 500) also have a chance of victory in the World Performance Car sector where the comparatively modest Honda Civic Type R has also qualified as a finalist, along with the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and BMW M5.

The group of 2018 Word Green Car contenders is dominated - surprisingly, perhaps - by American manufacturers. Another surprise is that more pure-electrics have not made it through to the Green finals this year, thereby suggesting that there's some way to go before the world accepts them as genuine and affordable alternatives to petrol/gasoline, diesel, and LPG models.

Luxury crossovers and SUVs continue to perform well - the Range Rover Velar is a WCOTY and World Car Design finalist

The finalists in the WCOTY division and the five supporting categories are a deliciously diverse lot, though. In no particular order of importance, there are - as expected conventional superminis, compact cars and mid-sized to large saloons/sedans (some sporty, some not), plus a traditional minivan/MPV in the mix. Hot hatches, crossovers, sports cars, Grand Tourers, a luxury limo or two, plus a pure-electric are other contenders.

But it's the small/medium/large, modest/premium/ luxury crossovers or SUVs that dominate - not least because they're present in most of our 2018 World Car categories. On this evidence, the petrol/gasoline or diesel SUV remains in rude health and is still extremely popular with World Car jurors based in cities, towns and rural areas across the globe. At the very least, it's fair to conclude that these SUVs are among the best, most fit for purpose and desirable cars in the world today.

Equally true is that with just one pure-electric candidate (LEAF) in the World Car finals in 2018, the much talked about `electric car revolution' is still limping along slowly instead of surging forward as it should be doing by now.

Despite the growing objections from politicians and environmentalists to diesel and gasoline cars, they continue to account for the overwhelming majority of sales on the world stage.

The Nissan LEAF is the only pure-electric candidate left in the World Car finals

At the same time, pure-electrics still sell in minuscule volumes. And unless and until EVs cost less to buy new and travel further after each recharge, demand and sales will remain desperately low.

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2018 WORLD CAR AWARDS FINALISTS

WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR

Alfa Romeo Giulia BMW X3

Kia Stinger Land Rover Discovery

Mazda CX-5 Nissan LEAF Range Rover VELAR Toyota Camry Volkswagen T-Roc Volvo XC60

2018 WORLD URBAN CAR

Ford Fiesta Hyundai KONA Nissan Micra

Suzuki Swift Volkswagen Polo

WORLD LUXURY CAR

Audi A8 BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo

Lexus LS Porsche Cayenne Porsche Panamera

WORLD PERFORMANCE CAR

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Audi RS 3 BMW M5

Honda Civic Type R Lexus LC 500

WORLD GREEN CAR

BMW 530e iPerformance Chevrolet Cruze Diesel Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Nissan LEAF

WORLD CAR DESIGN OF THE YEAR

Citroen C3 Aircross Lexus LC 500

Range Rover VELAR Renault Alpine A110

Volvo XC60

NATIONS WITH THE MOST CONTENDERS IN THE

2018 WORLD CAR AWARDS FINALS

Germany 11 Japan 9 USA 3 Britain 2 Italy 2 Korea 2 France 2 Sweden 1

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CES 2018: ANOTHER GAMBLE

BY JENS MEINERS, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE WORLD CAR AWARDS

"What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas," is a popular motto in the desert metropolis dedicated to gambling and excess. But the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an exception: "What happens in Las Vegas does not stay in Las Vegas," Mercedes-Benz chief Ola K?llenius proclaimed in a press conference there.

His company had a lot to show: A semi-autonomous S-Class concluding its world tour there, an autonomous Smart Vision EQ Fortwo concept, and a newly developed user interface for the upcoming front-wheel drive models.

Asian manufacturers are leaving their mark with ambitious new products as well. Toyota showed the autonomous EV e-Palette Concept and extended the Concept-i series launched last year with two additional models.

Kia showed the concept of a fully electric version of the compact Niro, while Hyundai launched the Nexo, a standalone model with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell. Honda showcased robotics and an electric ATV, while Nissan announced a technology that can detect and evaluate brain signals.

The Daimler presentation outlined the two most important trends at CES: electrification and autonomous driving. The show is predestined for these topics through its roots in consumer electronics and its proximity to metro Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. This is where engineers, programmers - and futurologists - come together to absorb trends and cultivate their contacts.

Kia news conference during Media Days at CES 2018

The Daimler presentation outlined the two most important trends at CES: electrification and autonomous driving

On the pre-night, Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess announced an offensive for "artificial intelligence" in the car, together with the head of Nvidia, Jensen Huang. Ford, on the other hand, surprised the public with critical reflections on the automobile, formulated in Europe in the 1970s: "Where people once gathered in the streets and town squares, there are now highways and multi-lane roads," CEO Jim Hackett lamented.

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These places will have to be returned "to the people" apparently by driving these very people out of their own cars and delivering them to autonomous EVs as part of a "sharing economy we need."

An ambitious look into the future was provided by the new brands Faraday Future and BYTON, both launched with Chinese funds and equipped with German engineers and designers. Faraday Future has designed a veritable Tesla killer with the FF91: Faster, more powerful and with a more modern interior than a Model X. But the company is running out of money and currently undergoing an exodus of high profile executives.

Ford's keynote at CES centred on mobility within 'Smart Cities'

Things look better for BYTON; the concept car with giant screen shown in Las Vegas is supposed to go into production soon. And the world champion of announcements, Henrik Fisker, showed the EMotion, which, unfortunately not before 2023, will feature "revolutionary battery technology".

Many creative solutions to e-mobility have not been tried yet. Boris von Bormann, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Energy Americas, believes that the number of charging stations can be significantly reduced with predictive software. And there could be financial incentives for the use of electric cars as energy storage. Plug-in hybrids, according to Bormann, can be more than an interim solution for many users, regions and applications.

If extreme demands are covered with an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the charging infrastructure and the design of the battery modules can be more conservative and environmentally friendly,

The much anticipated BYTON Concept premiere

All of these brands rely on the breakthrough of e-mobility. They will face strong competition: Established manufacturers will soon play the electric niche with highly competent products.

A number of suppliers presented innovative ideas to meet the daunting challenges; ZF, for example, showcased an Opel Astra station wagon called "Dream Car", with a variety of sensors and cameras and equipped with a learning software.

One thing is certain: e-mobility will be costly, and autonomous vehicles are still far from ready for series production. And the political framework is shifting: The current US administration has strongly disempowered the once imperious EPA. As modern vehicles rely strongly on electronics, security issues such as the recently discovered "Specter" and "Meltdown" malware were heavily discussed. Not only do they endanger data security, they also endanger the performance of affected systems.

Meanwhile, the CES was struggling with more profane problems: On Tuesday, Google's outdoor demonstration area had to be closed because it rained. And on Wednesday, the electricity went out on parts of the floor.

The future remains a gamble in Las Vegas.

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NAIAS 2018: TRUCK TRENDS

BY TIM STEVENS, DIRECTOR OF THE WORLD CAR AWARDS

Auto shows tend to ebb and flow, one year wowing us with more debuts than we can process and the next falling curiously silent. After a quiet 2017, we weren't sure just what to expect from the 2018 iteration of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but we were surely unprepared for the volume of global debuts.

But, crucially, Chevrolet will still use steel in the bed, ensuring that the acerbic marketing campaign the company has lobbed against the all-aluminum Ford F-150 will live on.

And I mean volume quite literally. The biggest debuts of the show were physically very large, perhaps the most notable being the new Chevrolet Silverado ? though technically it didn't debut at NAIAS itself, rather at a pre-show event the Saturday before.

That minor distinction aside, this is a major update to a truck that Chevy sells over a half-million of annually. The most startling change isn't an addition but rather a deletion: 450 pounds worth of weight savings thanks largely to the use of aluminum on many panels.

The 2019 RAM 1500's most notable changes are on the inside

That weight saving means more towing and hauling capacity, though formal figures were not delivered to back that up. Fuel economy should improve, and the Silverado will also offer a new cylinder deactivation technology that can shut down the ignition in individual cylinders, turning the big V-8 into an effective one-cylinder! A 3.0-litre diesel is also planned.

Dodge rolled out a new RAM 1500 as well, and it's also been on a diet: losing some 225 pounds. That's rather less impressive, and indeed the new RAM didn't get nearly the same coverage as the new Silverado, perhaps because the most notable changes are on the inside.

The Chevrolet Silverado sheds 450 pounds

The new RAM 1500 has a massive, 12-inch display situated in the dashboard, vertically oriented ? la Tesla Models S and X.

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