As the 2025 World Car of the Year progresses towards its conclusion on April 16 at the New York International Auto Show, the organisation has announced the first of seven award recipients – the 2025 World Car Person of the Year who is Stella Li, Executive Vice-President of BYD Company Limited.
Besides Ms. Li being the first woman to win this award, it is also the first World Car Award for a Chinese brand.
Ms Li, 50, has been a key figure in BYD’s impressive international growth during the past 12 months, with a number of global model debuts, the brand’s entry into new markets and the company passing the impressive milestone of producing its 10-millionth new energy vehicle.
Prior to her present position, she served as BYD’s Senior Vice-President, and in that role was responsible for expanding the company’s global sales and operations, including establishing an office in Hong Kong in 1997, and setting up the brand’s first European headquarters in Rotterdam in 1999.
Ms. Li has also overseen the expansion of the company’s business expansion in the USA and Latin America. In 2013, she oversaw the openings of BYD’s electric bus, truck, and energy module factories in California.
Commenting on the 2025 award winner, Jens Meiners, World Car Awards Chair Emeritus, said: “Stella Li has impressed the World Car judging panel with her exceptional work as a key figure in BYD’s continued global growth. Her international vision and drive have seen BYD become a major player on the automotive stage in a short space of time, and her influence is not only felt within BYD, but across the automotive industry as a whole. We’re delighted to announce Stella as the 2025 World Car Person of the Year.”
Besides Ms Li, the other two contenders for the World Car Person of the Year were Ralph Gilles, Chief Design Officer of Stellantis, and Simon Humphries, Head of Design and Chief Branding Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation.
A jury of 96 distinguished international automotive journalists from 30 countries voted on the contenders based on who had made the most significant contribution to the global automotive industry during the previous calendar year.
Previous World Car Person of the Year recipients were
2024 – Adrian Newey OBE, then CTO of Red Bull Racing
2023 – SangYup Lee, Executive Vice-President, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Centre, Hyundai Motor Company
2022 – Luc Donckerwolke, Executive Vice- President for Design and Chief Creative Officer, Hyundai Motor Group
2021 – Akio Toyoda, President and CEO, Toyota Motor Corporation
2020 – Carlos Tavares, CEO of PSA Group
2019 – Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
2018 – Hakan Samuelsson, President and CEO, Volvo Car Group