Each year in Geneva a panel of journalists votes to elect the car of the year. Who will succeed the Toyota Yaris?
This is an event that car enthusiasts know by heart. The election of the best car of the year has been done continuously since 1964. Until 2019, it was also during the famous Geneva Motor Show that the announcement was made. This temple of four-wheeled vehicles.
But since the start of the health crisis, the famous Swiss show cannot be held. This year again, the announcement of the best car of the year was made within the Swiss city, cut off from its motor show.
But no matter, the competition was still tough to know who would succeed the Toyota Yaris, a real commercial success over the last 12 months, and who is the last holder of the famous “Car of The Year” badge. A real plus for salespeople who then have no trouble selling the car recognized as the best in today’s automotive industry.
Car of the year, but according to whom?
But no question of electing a car with a wet finger. In order to find out which car most deserves this prestigious title, 59 journalists, representing 22 European countries, vote according to a precise scale. Performance, aesthetics, driving sensation, all these data are analyzed and evaluated in order to help journalists make their choice.
In this more than 50-year-old competition, little has changed, and the criteria remain very similar from year to year. Only the technologies present on board make it possible to differentiate the evaluation grid from that of the 1960s and thus allow this prestigious competition to keep a foothold in the modern world.
Seven candidates for one crown
In order to decide, the journalists had the choice between seven pre-selected cars and therefore candidates for the title of “car of the year 2022”. Among the seven models that were named, we find, and for the very first time, a single thermal car. It is also a French car, the Peugeot 308. The six other models were all 100% electric, again a great first for the Swiss competition.
Finally on the six other electric cars, we could count on the Cupra Born, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the French from Renault, the Megane E-Tech as well as the Skoda Enyaq iV. Then came two highly anticipated cars, and tipped for the final victory.
The first of the two is American, and it just won the award for electric car of the year according to Consumer Reports (only in the United States) it is the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Without acting as a great favorite (she leaves this status to someone else) the car of the historic American brand has real arguments to put forward. With very good sales figures during the first 9 months of the year, the youngest from Ford however failed to convince the jury and finished in 6th place.
Kia on top of the world in 2022
Because the big winner this year is the Kia EV6. Announced as one of the favourites, the Korean car confirmed the expectations placed on it and won by a narrow margin ahead of the Renault Megane E-Tech. With 279 points, the car from the Korean peninsula will therefore be entitled to the famous sticker, for the very first time in the history of its country. While that accolade is often a sign of increased sales, that might not be the case for the Kia. With a price that exceeds 50,000 euros, it is likely to remain quite rare on our roads.
