A phenomenon that was still unthinkable a few years ago but which testifies to the paradigm shift that the European Commission wants to impose on us, six of the seven vehicles qualified for the final of the Car of the Year election are electrically powered.
As for the seventh, the Peugeot 308, it will be available in a 100% electric version in 2024. In the meantime, the compact Lion sedan produced in Mulhouse is available in thermal (petrol and diesel) and plug-in hybrid versions.
To discover
What responsibility at the wheel of an “autonomous car”?
Who will succeed the fourth generation of the Toyota Yaris awarded this year? The 60 European journalists who take part in this election, including a member of the editorial staff of Le Figaro, have, for the 59th selection of this institution that is the
Car of the Year
(Coty), overwhelmingly gave their votes to electric vehicles. If one of the six EVs in the field wins, it won't be the first time the Coty has rewarded a zero-emission vehicle. It was in 2011 that the Coty had awarded, for the first time in its history, its trophy to an electric model, the Nissan Leaf. It will take eight years for a second vehicle, which runs on this technology (Jaguar i-Pace), to win the election. For the past two years, the Coty has rewarded vehicles that offer electrified versions - Peugeot 208 and ToyotaYaris. Can history repeat itself in 2022?
The supreme reward will not escape an electrified vehicle anyway, the Peugeot 308 having in its catalog of plug-in hybrid versions. Usually giving pride of place to city cars, the 2022 selection has only one vehicle, the Cupra Born, the cousin of the Volkswagen ID.3. This is the second time that the young brand from Seat has reached the final of the election. Among the finalists, the Skoda Enyaq is based, like the Born, on the MEB platform of the VW group. Korean brands, who dream of winning the cup, present two vehicles in the final, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6. As for Ford, which has not been on the podium since the 2012 Focus, it hopes to chase away bad luck by hoisting the Mustang Mach-E on the top step of the podium, an electric SUV that has no Mustang other than the name.
Unless the surprise comes from the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric which will be launched next year and whose price is already announced around 36,000 euros at the entry level.
The seven finalists will be the subject of a (last) confrontation during the month of February, before the final vote.
The results will be delivered on Monday February 28 in Geneva.