Hyundai has now claimed the World Car of the Year Award two times in a row, with the Ioniq 6 taking top honors for 2023. The Ioniq 5 won it along with two other categories in 2022. The Ioniq 6 repeated those wins, taking the World Car Design of the Year and World Electric Vehicle Awards again. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 was one of three finalists for the COTY honor, beating the BMW X1/iX1 and Kia Niro for the top title.
“We are thrilled to receive this prestigious honor two years in a row, which recognizes the tremendous talents and unrelenting efforts of everyone at Hyundai Motor Company to bring EVs like Ioniq 6 to market,” said Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company.
Gallery: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6: First Drive
The organization crowned the Lucid Air as the World Luxury Car, which had to beat out the BMW 7 Series and the Genesis G90 for the award. The Kia EV6 GT won the World Performance Car title, getting more votes than the redesigned Nissan Z and the all-wheel-drive Toyota GR Corolla with its 300-horsepower 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine. The Kia has 576 hp on tap and can reach 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. The World Urban Car Award went to the Citroen C3, which faced off against the Volkswagen Taigo/Nivus and the ORA Funky Cat/Haomao.
Hyundai beat out the BMW i7 and Lucid Air for the EV award. It had to face off against the Land Rover Range Rover and the Lucid Air for the design title.
The World Car Awards used a jury of 100 international automotive journalists from 32 countries to vote on this year’s contenders. Jury members had to whittle down a list of 30 new cars to select this year’s COTY finalists and winner, which will receive trophies created by automotive designer Ian Callum.
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 will go on sale in the US this spring. Depending on the motor and batter configuration, the EV gives customers between 270 and 361 miles of range. The Hyundai makes 225 hp with the single-motor setup and 320 hp with the dual-motor one.