WHILE it may sometimes seem that cars are largely a ‘guy thing’, many women also have interest in cars. In fact, it should be remembered that it was a woman – the wife of Karl Benz, inventor of the motor car – who was the very first driver in the world in 1886. Women are also equally present in every aspect of the automotive world and can be influential when a couple is shopping for a new car.
The various Car of the Year (COTY) organizations around the world have women on their juries but there is one COTY program which is specifically female-oriented. It’s the Women’s World Car of The Year (WWCOTY) which has been run since 2009.
It is the only car awards group in the world which has only women motoring journalists making up its judging panel. It was created by New Zealand motoring journalist Sandy Myhre, who is Honorary President today.
The WWCOTY awards recognize the best cars of each year, with voting criteria based on the same principles that guide any driver when choosing a car. The jurors do not select a ‘woman’s car’ because cars are not gender-specific. Aspects such as safety, quality, price, design, ease of driving, benefits and environmental footprint, among others, are considered when casting the votes.
However, the assessments are also done from a woman’s perspective which may differ in some respects from a man’s. Male judges might give more attention to performance and technical details whereas a woman might focus more on practical aspects.
In any case, beyond choosing the best cars of the year, the WWCOTY organization says their goal is also to give visibility to women in the automotive world. They also want to contribute to making women’s voices heard on all continents because mobility for a woman means access to many personal and professional possibilities.
This is the thirteenth edition of the awards presented by WWCOTY, a team of 63 women motoring journalists from 45 countries on five continents. It is the only all-female jury in the automotive industry.
The jurors’ work has been marked by an industry evolution towards more efficient and sustainable models. The challenge faced by the jurors this year was even greater than in previous years due to the excellent quality of all the candidates. Nevertheless, each one was subject to demanding driving tests, detailed analysis and careful comparative assessments.
As in previous years, the voting process has been verified by auditors Grant Thornton, who have been involved in scrutinizing the votes since the establishment of the WWCOTY.
This time, there are 6 categories and the winners are as follow:
There will also be one overall winner from these six but which one will only be revealed on March 8 which is also International Women’s Day.