The World Car Finals Powered by Brembo began on February 7th, when the Top 10 WCOTY and the Top 5 finalists in six other award categories were announced globally. The three-month long World Car Finals period ends with a declaration of the winners in all vehicle categories on April 5th – live from the New York International Auto Show.
The winner of the 2023 World Car PERSON of the Year award will be anounced separately, just one week from today, on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.
This week, in preparation for the winner’s announcement next week, World Car is celebrating the TOP FIVE FINALISTS for this prestigious award.
100 journalists from 32 countries on the jury panel submitted their nominations by the end of January, leading to a shortlist for a vote by all jurors. The votes were then tabulated by the accounting firm KPMG.
The World Car PERSON of the Year award was created in 2018 to recognize an individual who has made a significant contribution to the global automotive industry during the previous calendar year. That contribution could include a significant impact to their brand or company, or a significant safety, engineering, design or technical advancement of benefit to the industry or to consumers.
This year’s top five finalists represent some of the best and most accomplished men and women in the industry, in very personal and different ways. Here they are, in alphabetical order, with comments by the jurors that nominated these individuals. Photos can be found below and also on the PERSON of the Year page on World Car’s web site.
Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD Co., Ltd. The jurors felt that:
Mr. Chaunfu is nominated as the founder of BYD; the company was incorporated in 1995, when he was 29 years old. BYD has been manufacturing EVs for 20 years, and today the company is a leading manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries.
Beyond leading the Chinese EV market in 2022, BYD is already the world’s most successful maker of plug- in electrics (PHEV and BEV). Executing on Mr. Chuanfu’s vision, and thanks to its proprietary modular platform and its own batteries and semiconductors, BYD controls its entire production chain.
Dr. Stella Clarke, Research Engineer Open Innovations, BMW Group. The jurors observed that:
Dr. Clarke, an Australian-born engineer, is responsible for BMW’s E Ink projects. Last year, the company showed the world’s first color-changing car, the BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink, which can change between white and black and to all shades of gray.
This year, the BMW i Vision Dee – Featuring E Ink, developed under her tutelage, followed up with the capability to change up to 32 colors and almost infinite variety of patterns with minimal energy input.
SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). The jurors observed:
SangYup Lee, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center, is the creative mind behind some of the most stunning and innovative concept and production cars unveiled in 2022, including Hyundai IONIQ 6, the all-new Hyundai KONA and Hyundai N Vision 74, which took the public by storm last summer.
Lee’s strong design philosophy, vision and leadership have been instrumental in shaping Hyundai’s new design language, as demonstrated by the brand’s recent successes. He continues to be a driving force behind the brand’s commitment in creating iconic and emotional designs.
Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors
As the CEO of Lucid Motors, Peter Rawlinson is responsible for all strategic and business aspects of the company, and as CTO, he is responsible for the creation and delivery of all Lucid products. Peter brings over 30 years of automotive industry experience to bear in these roles, including as chief engineer and Vice President of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, where he developed the Model S. Under his leadership at Lucid, the company has delivered a benchmark EV with its Lucid Air, setting new standards for range and efficiency for the entire industry and making this brand the one to beat in the EV race.
Naoyuki Sakamoto, Chief Engineer, GR Corolla, GAZOO Racing Company, Toyota Motor Corporation. The jurors stated that:
Sakamoto is responsible for the development of the Toyota GR Corolla, a compact car dripping with passion and pushing the envelope on high-performance cars in its segment. Instead of merely increasing power and adding cosmetic changes, Sakamoto and his team members conducted a massive re- engineering effort with meticulous attention to detail. The GR Corolla is emblematic of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s performance activities, and it underscores that the Japanese carmaker is serious about preserving and enhancing driving pleasure in an increasingly challenging environment.
