The BMW i3 has been selected as the winner of the New Zealand Car of the Year Award for 2015.
The model — which apparently costs $83,500 in the country — beat out 9 other finalists from among a shortlist created by the NZ Motoring Writers Guild. This shortlist included the Volvo XC90, the Ford Mondeo, the Audi Q7, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the Hyundai Tucson, the Subaru Outback/Legacy, and 3 offerings from Mazda (the MX-5, the CX-3, and the Mazda2 super-mini).
The New Zealand Car of the Year (COTY) award winner is apparently selected based on rather amorphous criteria, with neither pricing or other segment criteria necessarily being factored in to a notable degree.
Stuff.co.nz provides more:
There are no categories and no specific price or segment criteria for the winning car. The shortlist is simply comprised of what the COTY Committee agrees are the 10 most worthy cars launched during the year, with the winning car chosen by a ranking system.
The NZ Car of the Year has been a joint venture between the Guild and AA since 2012. Each year an expert panel selects a shortlist of 10 cars launched within the previous 12 months, which then goes out to the wider Guild membership for voting. The judges consider styling, economy, comfort, interior design, build quality and finish, practicality, value for money and the more ethereal X-factor.
Cars must be tested by a majority of Guild members to be eligible for the shortlist and the judges vote to an established scoring system to decide one winner. The Guild has presented an independent COTY award since 1988. Past winners since partnership with the AA in 2012 include the Toyota 86 sports car, Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3.
In addition to the winning of the Car of the Year Award, the BMW i3 also won best in class for the “Compact Car” segment. Here’s the full list of “best in class” winners:
- Small car: Mazda2
- Compact car: BMW i3
- Medium/large car: Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Luxury car: Hyundai Genesis
- Small SUV/Crossover: Mazda CX-3
- Medium SUV: Hyundai Tucson
- Large SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe
- Luxury SUV: Volvo XC90
- Utility: Ford Ranger
- Sports Performance: Mercedes AMG C 63