all-new 2008 ford mondeo makes world car short list
Ford has a shot at having one of its vehicles named World Car of the Year (WCOTY), with the all-new 2008 Mondeo surviving preliminary balloting to become one of the three finalists for the award.
The winner -- which is selected by a panel of 47 auto journalists from around the world -- will be announced on March 20, at the New York Auto Show.
Mondeo reached the finals by beating an initial list of 39 vehicles from across the world. In order to make it to the finalist list, a vehicle must satisfy rigid criteria in terms of styling, performance, handling and comfort and then go beyond those criteria to prove its value, safety, significance, emotional appeal and environmental responsibility.
WCOTY is a program initiated, organized and conducted by automotive journalists from all over the world. It is administered by a non-profit corporation, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of automotive journalists from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States.
While the result is traditionally announced at the New York Auto Show, the award itself has no affiliation with any auto show, publication, automaker or other commercial enterprise.
Along with the WCOTY and the design award, the organization also honors the World Performance Car of the Year and the World Green Car.
The Ford Mondeo debuted at last year's Geneva Motor Show. Since then the Mondeo has won praise from auto critics and been named the Auto Express Car of the Year.
