General News
1 December, 2024
Wheels car of year award is better late than never
WHEELS car of the year (COTY) – 21 months behind schedule – will be a combined 2024-25 award.
Due to a change of ownership, with the previous stewards unwilling to fund a costly COTY awards process with no return on investment after selling the brand, the COTY will be announced on Monday, December 16.
With 25 cars in the running for the prestigious award, in a sign of the times, close to half the field is made up of electric vehicles.
Over a week, six current and former editors of Wheels magazine put each car through its paces at Victoria’s Lang Lang proving ground. From handling, speed and braking, to safety and design, over 12,000 kilometres of testing was completed, including independent performance testing of all 25 cars completed by seven-time Australian rally champion Cody Crocker.
At the end of the week, the judges gathered to compare notes and come to a decision on the 2024-25 Wheels COTY winner.
“We’ve gathered a stellar line up for Wheels COTY ‘24. It was hard to pick a pre-event favourite from the 25 cars in contention, but the industry’s most comprehensive testing process and six of Australia’s most experienced judges will deliver a worthy winner,” said Wheels editor Andy Enright.
“The cars coming to the Australian market are changing rapidly, making the quality information provided by Wheels crucial for consumers,” she said.
The 2024-25 Wheels car of the year winner will be announced to coincide with the on-sale date of the 2024 yearbook edition of Wheels.
This year’s award is a new chapter for both the Wheels brand and the iconic COTY award under new owner, Motoring Media Network (MMN).
“I’m proud for the trusted Wheels brand to be associated with our principal sponsor Smart for this year’s award,” said MMN publisher Matt O’Malley. “COTY is a major honour for any carmaker to win and this year’s judging process was one of the most thorough ever conducted.”
Smart’s chief customer officer Bianca Bates said this year’s Wheels’ COTY was exciting for Australia and reflected a new era for the auto industry.
The field is: BMW iX2 xDrive30 (electric), BYD Sealion Dynamic Premium (hybrid), Ford Mustang Darkhorse (petrol), Honda CR-V VTi L AWD (petrol), Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (electric), Hyundai Ioniq 6 Dynamiq RWD or AWD (electric), Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy (hybrid), Kia EV5 Air or Earth (electric), Kia EV9 Earth (electric), Lexus LBX 2WD Luxury (hybrid), Mazda CX-90 (petrol), Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe 200 (petrol), Mercedes-Benz GLC 43 AMG (petrol), Mercedes-Benz E-Class E300 (petrol), MG 4 Essence 64 (electric), MG Cyberster (electric), MG HS Vibe (petrol), Mini Countryman SE (electric), Nissan Qashqai 1.5 Ti e-Power (hybrid), Polestar 3 (electric), Renault E-Tech (electric), Skoda Enyaq Sport Line RWD (electric), Tesla Model 3 Long Range (electric), Toyota Camry Ascent Sport (hybrid) and Volvo EX30 Range Ultra (electric).
