The 2020 winner of the country’s most prestigious and longest running automotive accolade, the New Zealand Motoring Writers Guild Car of the Year award, will be revealed in a special live television broadcast later this week.
The 33rd winner of the iconic title will be announced during ‘Seven Sharp’ this Friday (December 11, from 7pm on TV1).
“The Motoring Writers Guild is an industry body consisting of automotive journalists from around the country and is considered the most coveted award for a new model to win,” said the President of the New Zealand Motoring Writers Guild, Richard Edwards.
“Key to the mana associated with the Guild award is that the selection of finalists is a robust and comprehensive process, which culminates in a vote involving more than 20 journalists.
“Above all else, the Guild itself is fiercely independent, which not only adds to its credibility but also the high regard in which the award is held by the entire industry.”
The finalists for the 2020 award were announced in November and, since that time, motoring scribes from around the country have been double checking evaluation notes and considering which vehicle was worthy of receiving their vote.
“This year’s finalists reflect the nation’s move towards SUVs, as eight of the ten are from this particular category, while the two remaining finalists come from the small car segment,” said Mr Edwards.
“It’s going to be intriguing to find out which vehicle claims the gong for 2020, but one thing we know for sure is that the winner will have earnt the title due to the sheer number of members involved in the voting process.”
The New Zealand Car of the Year Finalists, in alphabetical order, are Audi Q3, Ford Fiesta, Kia Seltos, Land Rover Defender, Mazda CX-30, Mercedes EQC, Mercedes GLB, Peugeot 2008, Skoda Kamiq and the Toyota Yaris.