At a press conference presented by the Midway Group and hosted by the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan, New York, the Lexus LS 460 was declared the 2007 World Car of the Year. The Lexus LS 460 was chosen from an initial entry list of twenty-eight (28) contenders nominated by World Car jurors from 22 countries throughout the world.

Rather than being just a popularity contest, the objective was to ensure that the World Car of the Year would be the product of a fair and thorough assessment process that considered the needs and wants of consumers the world over. The process began with individual jurors evaluating and rating the candidates using a variety of standardized parameters — everything from styling and quality, to performance and safety. The jurors then voted in January 2007 in order to establish a top ten shortlist. The World Car of the Year was chosen from those finalists as tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

WCOTY jurors considered the prestigious LS 460 to be the embodiment of the Lexus brand’s “pursuit of perfection.” Still new in some markets, Lexus continues to build its resume with this luxury flagship boasting many firsts, including a novel automatic parking system and an 8-speed automatic transmission. Classically luxurious, with modern execution, unquestioned quality, and more than ample power it also offers a green alternative in the form of the LS 600h hybrid variant for those who seek guilt-free indulgence.

The top three contenders for the third annual World Car of the Year in addition to the Lexus LS 460 were the Audi TT and the MINI.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award recognizing the LS 460 as the ’2007 World Car of the Year,’” said Bob Carter, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “From the outset, it was our goal to develop a luxury flagship vehicle that would be recognized as one of the finest cars in the world. The response to the LS 460 by our customers and awards such as this go a long way towards realizing our goal.”

Other World Car Category Winners: Performance, Design, Green

While the winner of the overall World Car of the Year award must excel in a broad range of attributes, there is a segment of the car-buying public for whom performance — in its broadest sense — overrides all other priorities. Vehicles appealing to that clientele may be too narrowly focused to appeal to the masses, but it is an important element in the overall automotive mix. It is for that reason that we created the World Performance Car award in 2005.

The Audi RS4 was chosen from an initial entry list of seventeen (17) contenders nominated by World Car jurors from 22 countries throughout the world for 2007 World Performance Car of the Year.

Style sells. No matter how rational a buyer’s approach to a new car purchase may be, the ultimate decision is typically based as much on emotion as on reason — perhaps more so. Nothing evokes that emotion more strongly than the vehicle’s appearance, be it a sports car or a minivan or anything in between. Good design knows no boundaries or borders, which is why we established an award for the World Car Design of the Year in 2005.

The Audi TT was chosen from an initial entry list of twenty-eight (28) contenders nominated by World Car jurors from 22 countries throughout the world for the 2007 World Car Design of the Year.

The World Car of the Year Awards are intended to reflect today’s auto industry and market trends. In that respect, nothing is more au courant than concern for the environment — hence the creation of World Green Car of the Year.

The MERCEDES-BENZ E320 BLUETEC was chosen from an initial entry list of fourteen (14) contenders nominated by World Car jurors from 22 countries throughout the world for the 2007 World Green Car of the Year.

Source: New York International Auto Show

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph). It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the legendary Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm. The Veyron features a W16 engine—16 cylinders in 4 banks of 4 cylinders.

According to Volkswagen, the final production Veyron engine produces between 1020 and 1040 metric hp (1006 to 1026 SAE net hp), so the car will be advertised as producing “1001 horsepower” in both the US and European markets. This easily makes it the most powerful production road-car engine in history.

The Enzo Ferrari, sometimes referred to as the the Ferrari Enzo and also F60 is a 12-cylinder Ferrari supercar named after the company’s founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was built in 2003 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fiber body, F1-style sequential shift transmission, and carbon-ceramic brake discs. Also used are technologies not allowed in F1 such as active aerodynamics. After a maximum downforce of 1709 pounds (775 kg) is reached at 186 mph (301 km/h) the rear spoiler is actuated by computer to maintain that downforce.

The Zonda C12 F debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It is the most extensive reengineering of the Pagani car yet, though it shares much with its predecessors including the 7.3 L V12. Power is increased to 602 PS (443 kW/594 hp) with a special clubsport model producing 650 PS (478 kW/641 hp). The company promises a 3.2 second sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h, a top speed over 374 km/h (225 mph) and it will be the queen in braking from 300 km/h to 0 (186 mph to 0). The Zonda F clubsport has a power to weight ratio of 521 bhp/ton (384 W/kg) . Compare, for example, the Enzo Ferrari which has a power to weight ratio of 483 bhp/ton (356 W/kg).

The Koenigsegg CCX is the latest supercar from Koenigsegg. CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X. The X commemorates the 10th anniversary of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996. The CCX is intended to be more suitable for the U.S. market and thus engineered to comply with US regulations. The CCX is powered by a Koenigsegg designed and assembled, all aluminium, 4700 cm³ DOHC 32-valve V8 based on the Ford Modular engine architecture enhanced with twin Rotrex centrifugal superchargers with response system, 1.2 bar boost pressure and an 8.2:1 compression ratio. The engine produces 806 hp (601 kW) and 678 lbf.ft (920 Nm) on 91 octane (U.S. rating) gasoline, 850 hp (634 kW) on 96 octane (Euro rating) gasoline and 900 hp (671 kW) on biofuel.

The Porsche Carrera GT is a supercar, manufactured by Porsche of Germany. The Carrera GT is powered by an all-new 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 612 SAE horsepower (450 kW). Porsche claims it will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62.5 mph) in 3.9 seconds and has a maximum speed of 330 km/h (206 mph), although road tests indicated that in actuality the car could accelerate from 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds and to 0-100 in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 335-340km/h (209-212.5mph).

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a sports car and supercar automobile co-developed by DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars. It is assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. Most people presume “SLR” to stand for “Sportlich, Leicht, Rennsport” (German for “Sport; Light; Racing”). The car’s base price is £300,000 or $455,500. The SLR has a supercharged 5.5 (5439cc) litre dry sumped 90 degree V8. It produces 466.8 kW at 6500rpm (626 hp) and 780 N·m (575 ft·lbf) torque at 3250 – 5000 rpm.

The Maybach 57 and 62 were the first automobile models of the Maybach brand since the brand’s revival by DaimlerChrysler. They are derived from the Mercedes-Benz Maybach concept car presented at the 1997 Tokyo Motorshow (which was based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan). DaimlerChrysler attempted to buy the Rolls-Royce/Bentley marque when Vickers offered the company up for sale. When this attempt failed (they were outbid by BMW and Volkswagen respectively) they introduced the Maybach as a direct challenger in 2002. Both models are variants of the same ultra-luxurious automobile. The model numbers reflect the respective lengths of the automobiles in decimetres; the 57 is more likely to be owner-driven while the longer 62 is designed with a chauffeur in mind. The engine is a Mercedes-sourced 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12, generating 550 hp.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a luxury saloon automobile made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a BMW subsidiary. It was launched in 2003 and is the first Rolls-Royce model made under the ownership of BMW. It has a 6.8 L, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 hp (338 kW) and 531 ft·lbf (720 N·m) of torque. The engine is derived from BMW’s existing V12 powerplant. It is 1.63 m (63 in) tall, 1.99 m (74.8 in) wide, 5.83 m (228 in) long, and weighs 2485 kg (5478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium spaceframe and the Phantom can accelerate to 60 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 s.