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The World Car Awards have announced the top three finalists for the World Car of the Year award, along with the top three contenders in other categories. The winners will be announced on April 5 at the&nbsp;New York International Auto Show and will receive the new versions of the traditional World Car trophy designed by Ian Callum's design and engineering firm CALLUM. Ian Callum, who was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019 for his contributions to the British automobile industry, is widely regarded as one of the industry's most prominent designers. The list of the top ten contenders for the award was released by World Car Awards last month,&nbsp;out of which the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Kia Niro, new BMW X1, and, its electric vehicle counterpart, the iX1 (all three were considered competitors) made the top three. It should be noted that the Kia Niro most recently took home the title of Women's World Car of the Year 2023. Let's now take a look at all the finalists in each category.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.autox.com/news/industry-news/sangyup-lee-hyundai-global-design-head-named-2023-world-car-person-of-the-year-112542/">SangYup Lee, Hyundai Global Design Head, Named 2023 World Car Person of The Year</a>

<h2>2023 World Car of the Year (WCOTY)</h2>

- BMW X1 / iX1

-&nbsp;Hyundai Ioniq 6

-&nbsp;Kia Niro

<h2>2023 World Electric Vehicle of the Year&nbsp;</h2>

- BMW i7

- Hyundai Ioniq 6

-&nbsp;Lucid Air

<h2>2023 World Luxury Car of the Year&nbsp;</h2>

-&nbsp;BMW 7 Series / i7

-&nbsp;Genesis G90

- Lucid Air

<h2>2023 World Performance Car of the Year</h2>

- Kia EV6 GT

- Nissan Z

- Toyota GR Corolla

<h2>2023 World Urban Car of the Year&nbsp;</h2>

- Citroen C3

-&nbsp;ORA Funky Cat / Haomao

-&nbsp;Volkswagen Taigo/Nivus

<h2>2023 World Car Design of the Year&nbsp;</h2>

-&nbsp;Hyundai Ioniq 6

-&nbsp;Land Rover Range Rover

-&nbsp;Lucid Air

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.autox.com/news/industry-news/2023-world-car-awards-top-ten-top-five-finalists-announced-112403/">2023 World Car Awards: Top Ten &amp; Top Five Finalists Announced</a>

Commenting on the announcement,&nbsp;Daniele Schillaci,&nbsp;Brembo CEO, said,&nbsp;'We are on the cusp of an intense new era in mobility, in which Brembo is committed to interpreting performance in a new way. The path we have undertaken leads us to develop increasingly innovative and sustainable products, characteristics we share with the World Car Finals. We are proud to partner &nbsp;these prestigious awards for the fifth consecutive year, as they inspire excellence and leadership in the automotive industry.'

The Road to the World Car Awards is an annual event, which follows 100 international jurors as they test-drive and choose the cars for the 2023 awards.

2023 World Car of the Year Awards: Top Three Finalists Announced

The 2023 World Car of the Year awards are now in their final stages, with the top three finalists in each category revealed. The winners in each category will be announced next month at the New York International Auto Show on April 5th.

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As Hyundai achieved its highest-ever sales in India, we spoke to Hyundai India MD, Mr&nbsp;Unsoo Kim, about the company’s future plans.&nbsp;

Customer experience is becoming increasingly important. How can you enhance this for your customers?

As customers are increasingly becoming more particular about the products they choose and experiences they encounter, we too have been seamlessly adapting to this trend, which led us to initiate the Hyundai Signature Outlet program that offers customers tailored purchase experiences that are specially curated for a premium experience with a dedicated focus on high-end products. Initiated back in 2020, we began with 114 Signature Outlets, we scaled up to 190 Signature Outlets in 2021 and presently have 255 Signature Outlets in 125 cities. In a bid to stay ahead of the curve, we have developed solutions that go ‘Beyond Mobility’ by utilizing Intelligent Technology to provide future-ready solutions to our new-age buyers. With a focus on elevating customer convenience, we recently launched the industry-first ‘myHyundai’ mobile application, letting users access the complete Hyundai ecosystem at the tip of their fingertips. ‘myHyundai’ offers the complete bouquet of Hyundai services such as Online Car purchasing via ‘Click-to-Buy’, Booking a service online via ‘H-Care’, Connected Mobility via Blue-Link and more.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.autox.com/interviews/interview-with-tarun-garg-director-sales-service-marketing-hyundai-motor-india-111989/">Interview with Tarun Garg, Director – Sales, Service &amp; Marketing, Hyundai Motor India</a>

SUVs have been a core success area for you. What made you focus on them so much?

At Hyundai India, we continuously strive to keep our product line future ready with technological advancements, best-in-class features and segment-first connected car technology. 2022 was the year of SUVs for us, with a flurry of SUV launches beginning with the all-new Venue, the futuristic Tucson and the first ever mass-market performance-oriented SUV, the Venue N-Line being launched in India. The ever-popular Creta was the number 1 SUV in our lineup garnering sales of 1.31 Lakh units between January to November 2022, thus bolstering our position as an SUV leader. At Hyundai India, we understand that modern customers look for a versatile SUV that caters to their mobility requirements by offering a unique, feature-laden and premium travel experience. Our cars suit the diverse lifestyle needs of our new-age, tech-savvy and millennial customers. By offering a plethora of transmission and engine options across our SUV range, we are where the customer is. There is a Hyundai SUV for everyone!

As we continue to elevate benchmarks through our unique and futuristic product offerings, the all-new Tucson raises the level of safety through a combination of advanced safety features with Hyundai SmartSense (ADAS) offering 19 smart &amp; intuitive safety features. Equipped with Level 2 ADAS technology with a camera and radar sensors, the Tucson is able to detect a car, a pedestrian or a cyclist on the road, thereby offering comprehensive protection. 
&nbsp; 
On the back of strong demand across segments and an overall resurgence of the Indian market, our sales numbers have consistently remained strong month-on-month, with exponential growth compared to last year. We are poised to surpass our previous record of domestic sales of 5,50,002 units we had achieved back in 2018, buoyed by relentless sales momentum.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.autox.com/quattroruote/interview-with-michael-cole-president-ceo-hyundai-motor-europe-109629/">Interview with Michael Cole, President &amp; CEO – Hyundai Motor Europe</a>

And what does the future hold for Hyundai India?

Hyundai India aims to bring a complete range of innovative and technologically advanced BEVs to the market by 2028. By doing so, we aim to bring vehicles to the Indian market that not only excite our customers but also empower our customers in doing their bit towards creating a sustainable environment, ensuring ‘Progress for Humanity’.

We are gearing towards launching the globally acclaimed Ioniq 5 BEV, which has already taken the global markets by storm, by winning accolades at ‘World Car of the Year’ awards. The Ioniq 5 will herald a ‘pump-to-plug’ revolution in India, showcasing Hyundai’s global technology and product strength.

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[tab title = "Unsoo Kim"]

Mr&nbsp;Kim joined Hyundai Motor India as Managing Director in 2022, at an opportune time, when strong domestic demand for SUVs led to the company recording its best-ever domestic sales of 5,52,511 units. He has been a part of the Hyundai Motor Company since 1991.

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Interview with Unsoo Kim, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor India

Mr Kim joined Hyundai Motor India as Managing Director in 2022, at an opportune time, when strong domestic demand for SUVs led to the company recording its best-ever domestic sales of 5,52,511 units. We talk to him about the company’s future plans.

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India is undergoing a massive change with regard to EVs and emission requirements. Where do you see the future of the Skoda brand in the mid-to-long term, and what are the areas that you can explore further?

For me, electrification is definitely an exciting transformation that’s inevitable – whether we like it or not. This is something that I realised while I was taking care of Northern Europe, and it all started a few years ago in Norway with some efforts and subsidies from the governments – both for end customers and companies – and as a result, if you look at the Norwegian market, 60% of new vehicles on sales are EVs. And now, it is spreading further in the UK, Netherlands, and Belgium. I can also see the beginning of electrification in India. Of course, it started with two- and three-wheelers, but now the government is also focusing on electric buses and public transport, and the next step will be a more focused transformation of four-wheelers. So, I do believe that the EV transition is going to happen, and as the head of the Skoda brand in India, I would like to be a part of it. In conjunction with the Skoda board, back at headquarters, we are thinking of penetrating the EV market in the foreseeable future in India.

<img alt="Skoda Octavia Rs 245 India" height="720" src="/uploads/2020/11/skoda-octavia-rs-245-india-review-in-action-m.jpg" width="1280" />

You have experience in the UK where Skoda’s RS brand has done very well. The RS brand has also been successful in India, so do you think you can expand the RS portfolio further in India?

Of course, you have to factor in that everything depends on demand, but we are not saying no to any possible opportunities. So, if there is a space for an RS product in the Indian market, and if it makes commercial sense, then we will be happy to bring more products. Because I remember a few years ago, when I was the regional head for Skoda in India, we brought the Octavia RS here, and it was quite a success. Of course, our core volume comes from India 2.0 products – the Kushaq and Slavia – but we also have possibilities for CBUs, and therefore for EVs. So, our goal is to target niche products like RS and EVs as CBUs, and if we get good traction, then we can potentially look at sourcing parts and components from India and building a fully localised EV in India itself in the near future.

You mentioned that when the time is right, you will look at manufacturing EVs in India. Is there a timeline you can share with us for when we can expect Skoda EVs in the Indian market?

I would say that right now for India, we’re looking at the Enyaq. It’s an EV that we already have in our European product range, and so far, there are only two markets it has been exported to outside of Europe. And very soon, we would like India to be the next market where the Enyaq gets exported to. If we can do that in 2023, we would be very happy, but, as of now, we are still in discussions. For now, I can’t confirm when local production of EVs will start in India, as our focus currently is on bringing the Enyaq into India as our first EV. Everything else will happen after that.

<img alt="SKODA ENYAQ COUPE RS IV Front Three Quarter Static" height="720" src="/uploads/2022/02/SKODA-ENYAQ-COUPE-RS-iV-front-three-quarter-static.jpg" width="1280" />

Given your increasing sales numbers and the fact that they are setting new records for the brand, does it make your life easier back at the headquarters in getting new products, like the Enyaq, for the Indian market?

Yeah, of course, it does. Basically, this year, thanks to the growth – 44,500 units until November 2022 – India became the third-biggest market for Skoda worldwide. And it is unprecedented. India has never been our third-biggest market worldwide in the past. In other words, India is now the biggest market for Skoda outside of Europe. Germany will always be Germany for us, and the Czech Republic is our domestic market, but India is the number one market for Skoda apart from those two. And it’s something that we would definitely like to explore and develop further. So, to answer your question, yes, being successful in India makes a huge difference. The entire Skoda board now is aware of Skoda India’s success, and we definitely have higher chances of getting new vehicles for the Indian market on priority. But it has to first make commercial sense for us.

<q>'This year, thanks to the growth, India became the third-biggest market for Skoda worldwide’</q>

In terms of large SUVs, the Kodiaq has done very well for you, but its sales have been hampered by problems in terms of supplies. Will we see any improvement in 2023?

Yeah, for the Kodiaq – since it’s a CBU – we had difficulties in terms of supplies in 2022, but in 2023, we have very ambitious sales targets for the Kodiaq, and the supplies for the SUV will resume full strength next year.

<img alt="2022 Skoda Kodiaq Tailgate Badge" height="720" src="/uploads/2022/02/2022-Skoda-Kodiaq-Tailgate-Badge.jpg" width="1280" />

Read more:

<a href="https://www.autox.com/interviews/interview-with-zac-hollis-director-skoda-auto-india-107812/">Interview with Zac Hollis, Director, Skoda Auto India</a>&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.autox.com/interviews/interview-with-ashish-gupta-brand-director-volkswagen-passenger-cars-india-112000/">Interview with Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India</a>

Interview with Petr Šolc, Brand Director, Skoda India

As Skoda celebrates two years of its India 2.0 program, we speak to the new Skoda India Brand Director – Petr Šolc – about their progress in the Indian market, and what we can expect from Skoda in the near future. 

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