The best cars in the world in 2017

The shortlists for the six prestigious categories of the 2017 World Car Awards have been announced.

The all-new Honda Civic is one of the contenders in the most important category. Photo: Honda.

According to automakers, 2017 is the fourth consecutive year that the World Car Awards (WCA) has been voted the leading awards system in the global automotive industry.

The shortlist has just been announced. Another shortlist (down to three in each category) will be finalised at the Geneva Motor Show (Switzerland in March). The winners will then be announced at the New York Motor Show (USA in April).

Five of the six categories of the WCA will be voted on by 75 journalists from around the world, while the remaining category (Best Car Design) will be decided by leading design experts. All votes will be tallied by KPMG – a third-party statistical firm to ensure objectivity.

10 candidates for the most important category (Car of the Year 2017) includes: Audi A5/S5 Coupe, Audi Q2, Audi Q5, Fiat/Abarth 124 Spider, Honda Civic, Jaguar F-Pace, Mazda CX-9, Skoda Kodiaq, Toyota C-HR and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Luxury Car of the Year 2017will name one of the following: Bentley Bentayga, BMW 5 Series, Genesis G90, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and the Volvo S90/V90. The 2017 World Performance Car's finalists include: Aston Martin DB11, Audi R8 Spyder, Honda/Acura NSX, McLaren 570S, and Porsche Boxster/Cayman.

The winning car in the categoryGreenest Car 2017will be among: Chevrolet Bolt, Honda Clarity Fuel-Cell, Hyundai Ioniq, Tesla Model X or Toyota Prius Prime.

In categoryBest City Car 2017, candidates include: BMW i3 (94 Ah), Citroen C3, Ford Ka+, Smart Cabriolet and Suzuki Ignis.

Final,Best Car Design 2017will be a battle between the models: Audi A5/S5 Coupe, Jaguar F-Pace, Mazda CX-9, Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet and Toyota CH-R.

Similar awards to the Car of the Year are often presented at major auto shows around the world. However, the World Car Awards (WCA) are considered by experts to be one of the most prestigious and objective systems. The results of this award can be used as a reference in most global markets.

Initiated in 2004 by journalists from around the world, WCA is organized and operated by a non-profit organization to ensure objectivity. Dozens of journalists from Asia, Europe and North America will evaluate new models through operation to give the final results. The Best Design Car category will be voted by a professional council of talented designers around the world.

The 2016 World Car of the Year award went to the Mazda MX-5. The other categories include Luxury Car of the Year for the BMW 7-Series; Best Performance Car for the Audi R8 Coupe; Best Design for the Mazda MX-5; and Greenest Car for the Toyota Mirai.

According to Zing