The Korean Automobile Journalists Association recently conducted the first round of evaluation for the 2024 Car of the Year award, resulting in 16 vehicles from 12 brands, including domestic and imported cars, advancing to the final assessment scheduled for the first quarter of next year.
The association evaluated 23 new vehicles (including mid-cycle refreshes) from 16 brands, released between January and June this year, from July 27 to August 3. From these, 16 vehicles from 12 brands have progressed to the final race.
Among the vehicles that passed the first round, Mercedes-Benz led with three cars, followed by Toyota and Hyundai with two each, and Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Renault Korea, BMW, Chevrolet, Genesis, GMC, and Peugeot (in alphabetical order) each contributing one vehicle.
Each year, the association selects and announces the best car in South Korea through three evaluations: the first half, the second half, and the final assessment of the new vehicles launched in the domestic market.
The Car of the Year categories include Car of the Year, Domestic Car of the Year (or Import Car of the Year), SUV of the Year, Utility of the Year, EV of the Year, Design of the Year, Performance of the Year, and Innovation of the Year. The 55 member companies (media outlets) of the association each have one vote to evaluate the vehicles.
The Car of the Year Selection Committee under the association announces the Car of the Month each month, and vehicles selected as Car of the Month receive special perks, allowing them a free pass to the final assessment without undergoing the first and second rounds. The final assessment in the first quarter of next year will consist of an online evaluation followed by a real vehicle evaluation.
For the Car of the Year category, nine vehicles have passed the first round, including the Kia EV9, Lexus New Generation RX, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Chevrolet Trax Crossover, Toyota RAV4 PHEV, Crown, New Peugeot 408, Hyundai The All-New Kona Electric, and Sonata The Edge.
In the SUV category, six vehicles have qualified for the main event: Kia EV9, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Chevrolet Trax Crossover, Toyota RAV4 PHEV, New Peugeot 408, and Hyundai The All-New Kona Electric.
In the Utility category, two vehicles, the Renault Korea QM6 QUEST and GMC Sierra, also passed the first round.
With an increasing number of electric models being released each year, the EV of the Year category will see four vehicles competing in the final assessment: Kia EV9, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Toyota RAV4 PHEV, and Hyundai The All-New Kona Electric.
In the Design category, twelve vehicles are through to the finals: Kia EV9, Land Rover All-New Defender 130, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Mercedes-AMG EQE, BMW X1, Chevrolet Trax Crossover, GMC Sierra, Toyota RAV4 PHEV, Crown, New Peugeot 408, Hyundai The All-New Kona Electric, and Sonata The Edge.
In the Performance category, six vehicles have passed the first round: Kia EV9, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Mercedes-AMG EQE, Mercedes-AMG SL, Genesis 2023 G70, and Toyota RAV4 PHEV.
Jeong Ji-yeon, Chair of the Car of the Year Selection Committee, stated, “With fierce competition expected between domestic and imported brands for the honor of being named South Korea’s best car, we will conduct evaluations more fairly and rigorously. We aim to provide accurate new car information to consumers both domestically and abroad through the Car of the Year assessments.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr