Electric SUV wins World Car of the Year again

A jury of 93 automotive news reporters has voted the Volkswagen ID.4 the World Car of the Year 2021.

The model is slated for international debut and is currently already in production in Europe and China, with the United States set to follow next year. An entry RWD spec will be the first to arrive, but a dual-motor AWD ID.4 GTX model should join its company soon.

The second place went to the Honda e hatchback, with the Toyota Yaris ranking third. Interestingly enough, neither of the two is available in the USA where the award ceremony took place.

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class took the Luxury Car award, pulling ahead of the Land Rover Defender and the Polestar 2. The Porsche 911 Turbo received the Best Sports Car prize with the Toyota GR Yaris and the Audi RS Q8 lagging behind.

Honda e reigned supreme in the Compact Car category, where it overtook the Toyota Yaris and the Honda Jazz/Fit. Design award went to the Land Rover Defender, which outperformed the Honda e and the Mazda MX-30 in this nomination.

The VW ID.4 is the second battery SUV to claim the WCotY top prize lately; Jaguar I-Pace did the same two years ago, also grabbing the Design and Electric Car awards. The latter category was canceled a year ago and should return as a special nomination next year.