Will Kia clinch the title again for World Car of the Year this year, as they did with its Telluride last year?
Both the Kia Sorento and the K5 has recently been selected as the top 10 finalists in the running for this year’s World Car of the Year (WCOTY) Awards.
Whittled down from a list of 24 cars initially, Kia’s feat of having two models within the top 10 is rather amazing already as the only other marque to have two cars that made the cut from the initial 24 finalists for this prestigious international automotive prize is BMW, with its 2-Series Gran Coupe and the 4-Series. The other six cars in contention for the WCOTY this year meanwhile are the Audi A3, Honda e, Mazda MX-30, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen ID.4.
With the overall winner of this award set to be announced on the 20th of April, Kia is undoubtably hoping for either the K5 or the Optima to be able to follow on in the Telluride‘s footsteps and clinch this award for the South Korean automaker again this year. If that were to happen, Kia will be only the second manufacturer to claim this overall title back-to-back in the automotive contest’s 16 year history after Volkswagen had done so twice, in 2009/2010 and in 2012/2013.
Regardless of the final result goes however, both these newly-launched Kia models have since already picked up several other notable automotive accolades this year. Both these cars for instance have secured wins in the 2020 GOOD DESIGN Awards, as well as being named among Autotrader’s ‘Best New Cars For 2021’. Furthermore, the Sorento has also picked up the AutoBild’s Golden Steering Wheel in the large SUV category, in addition to scooping a win in the same category in the 2021 What Car? Car of the Year awards.
Now just speaking more about the the World Car of the Year Awards, the jurors of this international automotive contest consist of 93 acclaimed automotive journalists from 28 countries around the world. Aside from this overall top prize, the other awards to be presented include the World Urban Car, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car and World Car Design of the Year Award.
PRESS RELEASE: The Kia Sorento and K5 have both been selected to the Top 10 for this year’s World Car of the Year (WCOTY) Awards. The nominations follow Kia’s big wins last year, as the Telluride was named ‘World Car of the Year’ and the Soul EV ‘World Urban Car.’
“Kia’s vehicles continue to earn acclaim for segment leadership, innovation and design, and this latest nomination is further proof of our position as a world-class brand,” said Sean Yoon, president and CEO, Kia Motors North America, Kia Motors America. “We are honoured to be considered again for World Car of the Year and are all looking forward to the results next month.”
All-new for 2021, the fourth generation Sorento features head-turning design, more off-road capability, and proven safety tech. With a bold new name representing Kia’s engineering and consumer confidence, the K5 sets a new standard among midsize sedans with its revolutionary design and powerful turbocharged engine lineup.
“Now in their 17th year, the World Car Awards were inaugurated to reflect the reality of the global marketplace and to recognise, reward and inspire excellence, leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry on a global scale,” said Beth Rhind, co-founder and Executive Director at World Car Awards.
The winners of the World Car Awards will be announced April 20 and are decided by an independent international jury of 93 acclaimed automotive journalists from 28 countries around the world.
