As every year, the World Car Award is delivered at the New York Auto Show, the highest prize for the best car of the year according to more than 100 specialized journalists from 33 countries.
This year, the big winner won, in addition to the top prize, the Best Car of 2022, the awards for the best design and the best electric car. A triple recognition that places it in a unique place in the history of the Award, which is in its 18th edition.
But what is the car that achieved all these milestones? The Hyundai Ioniq 5 was winning the great award of the night but, in addition, it was also chosen as the car with the best design and the best electric car.
“We are truly honored by this award, which recognizes the talent and hard work of our Hyundai Motor Company employees and partners. Our ambition is to drive progress for humanity, and this recognition of our approach is critical to increasing the motivation to turn vision into reality,” said Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company upon receiving the award.
Winners category by category
Best Car of the Year 2022
Vehicles eligible for Car of the Year must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units/year, must be priced below the level of luxury cars in their primary markets, and must be “on-demand.” sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, US) on at least two separate continents between January 1, 2021 and March 30, 2022.
The winner was the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which, as already mentioned, also won the prizes for Best Design and Best Electric Car of the same year.
It is a large model (4.64 meters) that has a two-volume body with aesthetic details typical of SUVs and is one of the reference cars if you are looking for an electric car for all situations, even on long trips, with its 800 volt fast charge.
On a mechanical level, this electric car can be configured with two battery capacities. The most modest has a capacity of 58 kWh and is combined with a 125 kW (170 CV) engine to deliver 384 kilometers of range. Above, the 73 kWh battery arrives together with a 160 kW (218 hp) or 225 kW (306 hp) motor. The first combination offers 481 kilometers of autonomy, while the second remains at 430 kilometers available.
Its high capacity for fast charging allows it to go from 10 to 80% of the available autonomy in just 18 minutes.
Best city car of 2022 year
The winner was the Toyota Yaris Cross. Mass-selling urban cars -more than 5,000 units a year- and compact design for use in the city participate in this category.
Best luxury car of 2022 year
In this case, the award was won by the Mercedes Benz EQS, the electric version of the S-Class. It is the fifth time that the brand has won in this category and the second in a row.
The placement of luxury cars is determined based solely on their price range over all available models.
Best performance car of 2022 year
In this case, the chosen one was the Audi e-tron GT, which is also a record, since the German firm has won 11 ‘World Car’ awards, more than any other car manufacturer. .
“The e-tron GT combines sporty and powerful driving with a high level of usability on a day-to-day basis: it is a true Gran Turismo and a true Audi”, explained the director of Product Marketing at Audi, said Christiane Zorn.
