The Korea Automobile Journalists Association announced on February 1 that the final evaluation for the 2023 Car of the Year will be held on February 8 (Wednesday) at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority Automobile Safety Research Institute in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
The final evaluation for the 2023 Car of the Year will be conducted on 18 new models from 13 brands, including Kia, Land Rover, Renault Korea, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, SsangYong Motors, Audi, Genesis, Ford, Porsche, Polestar, and Hyundai (in alphabetical order), which have recorded top scores in the first and second half evaluations.
In the competition for the best car in South Korea—2023 Car of the Year—11 models from 8 brands have been selected, including the Kia EV6 GT and Niro, the all-new Land Rover Range Rover, the Renault Korea XM3 E-TECH Hybrid, the Mercedes-Benz The New EQE and C-Class, the BMW 7 Series, the SsangYong Motors Torres, the Audi The New Q4 e-tron, and the Hyundai The All-New Grandeur and Ioniq 6. This indicates fierce competition in the final real-world evaluations. Additionally, heated battles are expected among candidates in various categories.
With many electrified models released last year, this year’s EV category competition is expected to be more intense than ever. The finalists for the EV of the Year include four new models representing their brands: the Kia EV6 GT, the Mercedes-Benz The New EQE, the BMW i7, and the Hyundai Ioniq 6.
Looking at the brands of the vehicles that made it to the final evaluation, Mercedes-Benz has the most entries with three models, while Kia and Hyundai have two models each, and the remaining brands each have one model.
The 2023 Car of the Year evaluation and award categories by the Korea Automobile Journalists Association consist of eight categories: ▲ Car of the Year ▲ Domestic Car of the Year (or Imported Car) ▲ Innovation of the Year ▲ SUV of the Year ▲ Utility of the Year ▲ EV of the Year ▲ Design of the Year ▲ Performance of the Year.
Lee Seung-yong, President of the Korea Automobile Journalists Association, stated, “We conduct the Car of the Year evaluation annually on all new cars released in the country to promote technological advancement among automobile manufacturers and provide correct product information to consumers.” He added, “We plan to conduct strict real-world performance evaluations on high-speed circuits, steering performance roads, special durability roads, and K-City at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority Automobile Safety Research Institute.”
Following the final evaluation on February 8 (Wednesday), the award ceremony for the 2023 Car of the Year is scheduled to take place on the evening of the 22nd (Wednesday) at the 2nd floor convention hall in Banpo Sebit Island.
Meanwhile, the association plans to hold its regular general meeting on February 8 (Wednesday) at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority Automobile Safety Research Institute, where it will report on the 2022 business performance and settlement, the major projects for 2023, elect officers, and conduct votes to approve new member admissions.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr