- Voted by 93 international journalists from 28 countries

- Fifth WCOTY win for the German carmaker

The Volkswagen ID.4 is the 2021 World Car of the Year. It has been voted by 93 distinguished international journalists from 28 countries that make up the World Car Awards jury panel. The other two finalists were the Honda e and the new-gen Toyota Yaris, beating 24 other vehicles from all over the world.

To be nominated for the WCOTY, the eligibility of the vehicle was – it must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units/year, must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and must be ‘on-sale’ in at least two major markets, on at least two separate continents, between May 1, 2020, and May 1, 2021. Introduced in end-2020, the ID.4 is VW’s MEB based crossover for the masses and is part of a separate ID sub-brand for the carmaker. Its key markets are Europe, China and the U.S. and VW plans on selling 150,000 units of the ID.4 this year alone.

First showcased as the ID Crozz and then later as ID Crozz II Concepts, Volkswagen claims the ID.4 ‘drives like a GTI, has the packaging of a Tiguan and the purpose of the Beetle’. The five-door SUV is available with 2WD and AWD configuration with a battery pack ranging at 52-77kWh. It also has a claimed driving range of 350-520 kilometres under the WLTP cycle. The quickest version of the ID.4 can do 0-100kmph in 5.8 seconds and there’s 50, 100 and 125kWh fast charging provision as well.

This is the fifth time Volkswagen has taken home the prestigious WCOTY title. Previous WCOTY wins for VW were – Volkswagen Golf (2013), Volkswagen Up (2012), Volkswagen Polo 2010, and Volkswagen Golf VI (2009). Official partners for the World Car of the Year awards are New York International Auto Show, ZF, Cision Insights, Brembo, KPMG and Newspress.

The 2022 awards season and the 18th edition of the Road to the World Car Awards journey will officially begin at the New York International Auto Show on August 19, 2021. A new highlight of the 2022 awards program will be the debut of the World Electric Vehicle of the Year award which will recognise, support and celebrate the global transition to electrically-powered vehicles that is now underway.