Audi A8 has been named World Luxury Car of the year 2018. The announcement was made on Wednesday at this year’s New York International Auto Show.
2018 marks the 9th time that AUDI AG has won a World Car award in our 14 year history. The company previously won World Car of the Year in 2014 (Audi A3) and the very first World Car of the Year award in 2005 (Audi A6).
Audi has also won four World Performance Car titles: 2016 (Audi R8 Coupé), 2010 (Audi R8 V10), 2008 (Audi R8) and 2007 (Audi RS 4). The company also captured the World Car Design of the Year award in 2007 and 2008.
“This award is a special honor for us and our flagship model,” Peter Mertens, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG, explains. “The Audi A8 is an innovation driver for our entire industry. With its innovative touch control system, consistent broad-based electrification and the technical prerequisites for highly automated driving, the A8 sets new standards in automotive engineering.”
This year’s winner was chosen from an initial entry list of five prestigious cars from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists as announced in Geneva earlier this month: the Audi A8, the Porsche Cayenne and the Porsche Panamera.
Previous World Luxury Car winners were the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2017), the BMW 7 Series (2016), the Mercedes-Benz S Coupé (2015) and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2014). The award was first created in 2014 to acknowledge higher-priced premium models selling in more limited numbers worldwide.
Vehicles in all award categories are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of 82 top-level automotive journalists from 24 countries around the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work. Through their respective outlets they collectively reach an audience of many millions world-wide. The international accounting firm KPMG tabulates the jurors’ ballots.
