Voting has commenced to find the Supreme Winner for Women’s World Car of the Year 2019 which will be announced at the Dubai International Motor Show in the presence of Founder of WWCOTY, Sandy Myrhe from New Zealand and the GCC Jury Shereen Shabnam.
Forty-one women motoring journalists from 37 countries make up the Women’s World Car of the Year Jury. Given the rise and rise of female car purchasers world-wide, the female voice is more important than ever and the female demographic is, in fact, the fastest-growing consumer segment in the world and arguably the most influential.
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The awards will be presented by Sandy Myhre who has covered motor racing from all the major tracks of the world. She was the first woman member of NZ Motoring Writers’ Guild, the first woman member and first President of the NZ Motorsport Media Association. She is an award-winning journalist and the author of six books.
“It’s an honour to be announcing our awards in Dubai for two main reasons,” she said.
“First, it means we are recognized as an international entity by the organisers which is important to us as journalists. “Secondly, the motor industry, the media and visitors to the show will hear our voice from a significant platform.
“It’s well-known that women aren’t always acknowledged as major buyers of cars but by being in Dubai and giving our opinion on what cars we think were the best in 2019 will take that recognition factor up by a consideration notch.”
Accompanying Sandy will be Shereen Shabnam, a pioneering motoring journalist based out of the UAE since 1999. Shereen is the only female Jury of the Middle East Car of the Year Awards, Founder of All About Wheels, Editor in Chief of the Millionaire Group and Motoring Editor of Trending Business Insights and Madame magazine. Shereen has tested cars all over the world and has been the female voice for motoring in the regional media for over 17 years.
Finalists in this years WWCOTY are Audi e-Tron Quattro, Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, BMW 3 Series, Tesla Model 3, Volvo S60, Citroën C5 Aircross, Ford Escape, Ford Kuga, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Xceed, Porsche 911, Range Rover Evoque, Renault Clio and Lexus UX.
Winners will also be announced according to the Budget, Family, Green, Luxury, Performance and SUV/Crossover. Models in these categories include, Kia Xceed, Renault Clio, Skoda Scala, BMW 3 Series, Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, Audi e-Tron Quattro and Kia Soul EV, Tesla Model 3, BMW 8 Series, BMW X7, Porsche Cayenne Coupé, Mercedes AMG A35/45, Porsche 911, Toyota GR Supra, Citroën C5 Aircross, Range Rover Evoque and Lexus UX.
Judges are asked to nominate their Top 10 from a list of eligible cars. These nominations are then collated and put into the various categories including one category for the Supreme Award. Votes are then received for analysis by international accountants, Grant Thornton, from their Auckland (New Zealand) office.
Two other awards are in the 2019 line-up. The Holly Reich Dream Car Award is named in honour of a judge in Women’s World Car of the Year who passed away in 2016 in New York. Judges name the car they would love to have, if only they could. The Woman of Worth Award is in its second year. This award goes to the woman whom judges feel has contributed significantly to the motor industry or motor sport.
Results for the 2019 Women’s World Car of the Year will be announced at the Dubai International Motor Show, United Arab Emirates, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre between 12-16 November 2019.
