The road to World Car 2024 concluded today with the live announcement of the winners in six award categories at the New York International Auto Show. The KIA EV9 is the 2024 World Car of the Year.
This is the fourth award win for KIA in the World Car Awards’ 20-year history. In 2023, the Kia EV6 GT won the World Performance Car title while in 2020 Kia was the recipient of two awards. The Kia Telluride was the overall 2020 World Car of the Year winner and the Kia Soul EV won the World Urban Car category.
“We are hugely honored that the 2024 EV9 has been named the World Car of the Year. This triumph is a testament to our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology and design excellence. The Kia EV9’s continued success will drive us to keep delivering exceptional vehicles that redefine the driving experience for customers around the world,” said Ho Sung Song, President and CEO at Kia.”
A jury of 100 distinguished international automotive journalists from 29 countries selected the winners by secret ballot based on their evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their on-going professional work.
The KIA EV9 was chosen from an initial entry list of thirty-eight (38) vehicles from all over the world then a short list of three finalists as announced on February 26th, 2024 at the Geneva International Motor Show. The 2024 Top Three in the World finalists are the BYD Seal, the Kia EV9 and the Volvo EX30.
Vehicles eligible for World Car of the Year must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units/year, must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and must be “on-sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents at some time within the period January 1, 2023 and March 30, 2024.
