The all new Mazda3 has been short-listed as one of the top three finalists for both 2014 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) title – the automobile industry’s single biggest accolade and 2014 World Car Design of the Year crown.
Looking ahead to the 2014 WCOTY competitions, the new Mazda3 is the only non-German model short-listed in both groups of finalists for the World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year titles. Looking ahead to the 2014 WCOTY competitions, the new Mazda3 is the only non-German model short-listed in both groups of finalists for the World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year titles.
Rivals for the overall trophy, chosen from 24 candidates this year, are the Audi A3 and BMW 4 Series – plus the all-new Mazda3. The jury of design experts, meanwhile, will size up Mazda’s all-time bestseller against the BMW i3 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class for the Car Design crown. The winners will be announced on 17 April at the New York International Auto Show.
After capturing more than 150 awards to date and surpassing total production of four million units in January, winning a WCOTY title would be the biggest success so far for the all-new Mazda3, which was first introduced in 2003. It would also be a crowning achievement for Mazda and the distinctive direction it has taken with its new-generation KODO models.
“The C-segment makes up one-quarter of the passenger car market in Europe, which puts into perspective how special we wanted to make the all-new Mazda3 and how appealing it needs to be from the very first moment people lay their eyes on it,” says Peter Birtwhistle, chief designer at Mazda’s European R&D Centre. “The recognition we’ve been receiving not only acknowledges the new Mazda3’s visual magnetism, it also reflects the way this car raises expectations with potential buyers, which it is entirely capable of fulfilling.”
