World Car of the Year Down to Trio of Crossovers

The organizers of the World Car Awards have winnowed the list of finalists for the top award down to three European-badged crossover/SUVs: The Audi Q5, Jaguar F-Pace and Volkswagen Tiguan.

The three finalists were announced this week at the Geneva auto show. The winner will be named next month at the New York auto show.

The all-new F-Pace also is on the shortlist of contenders vying for the World Car Design of the Year, along with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class convertible and Toyota C-HR crossover. Those still in the running for Luxury Car of the Year are the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class and Volvo S90/V90.

The finalists in the Green Car category are the Chevrolet Bolt, Tesla Model X and Toyota Prius Prime. Contenders for top Performance Car are the Audi R8 Spyder, McLaren 570S and Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman.

The newest award, World Urban Car, is down to the BMW i3, Citroen C3 and Suzuki Ignis. Judges say the award recognizes small city cars that demonstrate low-emissions, innovative thinking and smart design.

Winners are selected by 75 automotive journalists from 23 countries.