Top 10 finalists for World Car of the Year announced

The 2009 World Car of the Year competition is back for its fifth run, and the jurors have determined their ten, no, 11 finalists. The WCotY is determined by the votes of over 50 journalists from countries the world over (none of which works for Autoblog). Some of the finalists include the award-hoarding Nissan GT-R andJaguar XF, plus strong entries like the Ford Fiesta, Fiat 500, and Audi A4. Due to a tie for 10th place, there are 11 finalists this year. Judges will next narrow their choice to the top three vehicles by March 9, and the winner will be announced at the New York Auto Show on April 9. Hit the jump to view the the WCotY finalists, along with a short press release.

[Source: World Car of the Year]

PRESS RELEASE

World Car of the Year Announces Top Ten Finalists

Celebrating its fifth annual awards program, the World Car of the Year, held in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show, is pleased to announce this year's top ten finalists.

The 2009 World Car finalists are:

Audi A4 / Avant
BMW 7 Series
Citroen C5 Sedan / C5 Tourer
Fiat 500
Ford Fiesta
Honda Fit / Jazz
Jaguar XF
Mazda Atenza / Mazda6
Nissan GT-R
Toyota iQ
Volkswagen Golf VI

Vehicles are selected and voted on by a volunteer jury of close to 50 distinguished automotive journalists representing many of the world's most renowned automotive outlets. All jurors hold significant stature with their own regions and countries, which include: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States.

The jurors' next step is narrowing the top ten field to the top three, which will be announced March 9. Today's top ten announcement includes 11 vehicles because two of the vehicles are tied for a spot.

The overall 2009 World Car of the Year as well as the winners of the World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year will be declared on April 9, 2009 during a press conference at the New York International Auto Show.

Visit www.wcoty.com for more information on the 2009 World Car of the Year Awards. For Auto Show updates, go to www.autoshowNY.com.

Tags: audi a4, AudiA4, new york auto show, NewYorkAutoShow, nissan gt-r, NissanGt-r, world car of the year, WorldCarOfTheYear

Posted in: 2009 World Car of the Year