Kia and Porsche dominate World Car Awards

Thursday, 9 April 2020

Kia and Porsche are the big winners at this year's World Car of the Year awards, both taking out two of the five available awards, with one of Kia's being the overall WCOTY award for its Telluride large SUV.

The Telluride is the largest SUV Kia has ever produced and is sold primarily in the US market. It is a three-row crossover with seating for up to eight and is powered by Kia's 217kW 3.8-litre petrol V6 hooked up to an 8-speed transmission that drives either the front or all four wheels, depending on the model.

The Telluride shares its platform, engine and transmission with the Hyundai Palisade and has been remarkably successful in North America, taking out more than 70 awards since its launch in 2019 and earning itself the nickname 'Sell-uride' among Kia dealers who can't get enough of them.

Kia's large Telluride SUV has taken the top award at this year's World Car Awards.

While the Hyundai Palisade is almost certain to land in New Zealand seeing as it has been re-engineered into RHD for the Australian market, there is no word yet on whether Kia will follow suit.

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Mazda's sleek Mazda3 was the only car not made by Kia or Porsche to take out an award.

Kia New Zealand has expressed its interest, however, with managing director Todd McDonald saying if the Telluride were available in right-hand-drive, it would be considered for our market.

'It's a very impressive vehicle and it would sit well as a flagship to our SUV fleet,' McDonald said.

There is also rumour that the forthcoming Kia ute may well be based on the Telluride as well.

The Telluride triumphed in the WCOTYs over the Mazda CX-30 and Mazda3 that also made the final three.

Kia also won the World Urban Car category with the Soul EV, beating out the Mini Cooper SE EV and Volkswagen T-Cross, while Porsche had a double win for the Taycan EV, taking out the World Luxury Car and World Performance Car titles.

The Taycan beat another pair of Porsches (911 and 718) for the performance title, while it was up against the 911 and Mercedes-Benz EQC in the luxury category.

The only non-Porsche or Kia to win an award this year was the Mazda3, which took the World Car Design award, beating out the Taycan and Peugeot 208.

'Everyone at Kia is truly honoured to receive not just one, but two awards from the World Car of the Year judging panel,' said Thomas Schemera, Executive Vice President and Head of Product Division at Kia Motors Corporation.

'This is one of the hardest-fought competitions in the global automotive industry, proving that the Telluride and Soul EV are both truly outstanding vehicles. These accolades are testament to the talents and efforts of a worldwide team, who all strive to create desirable, high-quality and practical cars that drivers love.'

The World Car of the Year is now in its 16th year and vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprising 86 prominent automotive journalists from 24 countries around the world.