The New York International Auto Show will take place on April 15 for the first time since 2019, and suffice it to say, a lot has changed. Not only has the automotive market been hit by material supply bottlenecks, resulting in huge shortages and high prices, but car manufacturers have also been quietly working on many developments in emerging technologies such as electric vehicles.
And it's this area that will likely get a lot of airtime when industry stakeholders gather at the Javits Convention Center as automakers showcase their cutting-edge technology in new models and batteries.
But before the April 13th event, the World Car Awards will reveal the list of 2022 winners, and this year's finalists have one thing in common: the world's top 3 finalists for best car are all electric and include the Ford Mustang Mach- And, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6.
What's interesting is that this happens despite the fact that the World Car Awards has an existing category just for electric vehicles, indicating that perhaps these new electric models are making waves in their own right.
However, a jury that a press release describes as “102 distinguished international automotive journalists from 33 countries” selected the finalists by secret ballot. According to the organization, they “based the assessment of each eligible vehicle as part of their professional work” on scores tabulated by KPMG.
Jalopnik writer Jose Rodriguez Jr. calls the crop of Car of the Year nominees "unusual" as there isn't an internal combustion engine among them, though the report adds that this doesn't portend a future without them. Either people might classify cars differently these days, says Rodriguez, or “electric cars are simply outperforming ICE cars at just being cars.”
