The Korean Automobile Journalists Association has announced the results of the second half evaluations for the 2024 Car of the Year, revealing that 26 vehicles from 13 brands, including both domestic and imported cars, have passed the preliminary round to advance to the final evaluations.

Between January 3 and 8, the association conducted evaluations on 39 new cars (including facelift models) released from July to December of last year from 13 brands. Out of these, 26 vehicles from 13 brands advanced to the final race.

BMW led with five cars qualifying, followed by Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Hyundai with three each, and Toyota with two. Lincoln, Chevrolet, Genesis, KG Mobility, Porsche, Polestar, and Honda each had one vehicle qualify (brands listed in alphabetical order).

Each year, the association evaluates newly released vehicles in the country, conducting three rounds of evaluations: the first and second halves and the final judgment, to select and announce the best car in South Korea. They categorize the awards into eight sections: Car of the Year, Domestic (or Imported) 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. Each of the 55 member companies of the association (media outlets) has one voting right, which is used to evaluate the vehicles.

The association’s Car of the Year selection committee announces a monthly ‘Car of the Month’, and vehicles selected as Car of the Month receive a unique pass feature, allowing them to bypass both the first and second half evaluations and proceed directly to the final assessment. The final evaluation consists of an online assessment followed by a real-world performance evaluation.

In the Car of the Year category, the vehicles that passed the second half evaluation include: ▲Kia The New Carnival, Ray EV, The New Sorento ▲Mercedes-Benz The New EQE SUV, GLC ▲BMW 5 Series, X5 ▲Chevrolet The New Trailblazer ▲Audi The New A7 55 TFSI e Quattro Premium ▲Genesis GV80 Coupe ▲KG Mobility Torres EVX ▲Toyota 5th Generation Prius, Alphard ▲Hyundai The All-New Santa Fe, Ioniq 5N, totaling 15 vehicles.

In the SUV category, the finalists include: ▲Kia The New Sorento ▲Mercedes-Benz The New EQE SUV, GLC ▲Chevrolet The New Trailblazer ▲Genesis GV80 Coupe ▲KG Mobility Torres EVX ▲Hyundai The All-New Santa Fe, Ioniq 5N, The New Tucson, totaling 9 vehicles.

In the Utility category, the qualifying vehicles include: ▲Kia The New Carnival ▲Toyota Alphard, totaling 2 vehicles.

With the increasing number of electrified models each year, the vehicles vying for the EV category this year include: ▲Mercedes-Benz The New EQE SUV ▲KG Mobility Torres EVX ▲Toyota 5th Generation Prius ▲Hyundai Ioniq 5N, totaling 4 vehicles.

In the Design category, the vehicles that made it through include: ▲Kia The New Carnival, Ray EV, The New Sorento ▲Lincoln All-New Nautilus ▲Mercedes-Benz The New EQE SUV, GLC ▲BMW 5 Series, i5, M2 ▲Audi The New A7 55 TFSI e Quattro Premium, The New RS3 ▲Genesis GV80 Coupe ▲KG Mobility Torres EVX ▲Toyota 5th Generation Prius, Alphard ▲Porsche Cayenne ▲Polestar Upgraded Polestar 2 ▲Hyundai The All-New Santa Fe, Ioniq 5N ▲Honda All-New CR-V Hybrid, totaling 20 vehicles.

In the Performance category, the vehicles that passed the second half evaluation include: ▲Mercedes-Benz The New EQE SUV, GLS ▲BMW i5, M2, X6 M ▲Audi The New RS3, The New RS7 Performance ▲Genesis GV80 Coupe ▲Porsche Cayenne ▲Polestar Upgraded Polestar 2 ▲Hyundai Ioniq 5N, totaling 11 vehicles.

Jung Ki-yeon, chairperson of the Car of the Year selection committee, stated, “As fierce competition is expected among domestic and imported brands for the honor of being recognized as the best car in Korea, we will conduct evaluations more fairly and rigorously,” adding, “Through the Car of the Year evaluations, we aim to provide domestic and international consumers with accurate information about new cars.”

Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr