Although cars have long been perceived as a ‘guy thing’, many women too are interested in cars. Not just to admire or be driven around in but to also enjoy driving themselves. While car-buyers will generally have similar preferences and requirements, female drivers may have other requirements or prioritise different areas of a car from men.
This led to New Zealand motoring journalist Sandy Myhre starting the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards in 2009. She invited female motoring journalists from different countries and formed the only all-female jury for a Car of the Year event. For the 14th edition, there were 75 members on this jury, from 52 countries on five continents.
Giving voice to women
This unique award aims to recognise the best cars of the year and to give a voice to women in the automotive world. The voting criteria are based on the same principles that guide any driver when choosing a car.
Not just a ‘woman’s car’
The jurors do not select a ‘woman’s car’ because cars are not gender specific. Aspects such as safety, quality, price, design, ease of driving, benefits and environmental footprint, among others, are considered when casting the votes.
However, beyond choosing the best cars of the year, our goal is also to give visibility to women in the automotive world and to contribute to making women’s voices heard on all continents because mobility for a woman means access to many personal and professional possibilities.
The work of the jurors over the past year has been marked by a market in continuous evolution towards more efficient and sustainable models. “Voting was not easy due to the extraordinary level of the candidates,” said Marta Garcia, president of the WWCOTY.
“No vote was given at random. All have responded to demanding driving tests, detailed analysis and challenging studies of the competition. That’s why the WWCOTY awards are the benchmark for millions of buyers around the world”.
Overall winner announced in March
The 5 category winners now announced will go through to the final round of judging to determine the winner of WWCOTY’s top award. This will be announced on the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year YouTube channel at March 8, which also happens to be International Women’s Day.
