The World Car Awards (WCA) has come up with a list of candidates for this year's running, and it's indeed an interesting bunch. The 36 candidates came from different major markets; with 16 of those coming from China, 8 from Japan, 5 from Europe, 4 from Korea, and 3 from the US.

In China, BYD and GWM led the most candidates with the former having its Atto 3, Dolphin, and Seal EV models making it to the list, while GWM has the Haval H6, the Ora 07, and the WEY Coffee 02. XPeng and Zeekr each have two candidates: the Xpeng G9, Xpeng G7, Zeekr 001, and the Zeekr X. The rest of the Chinese brands consist of the Dorcen E20, the Maxus Mifa 9, the MG One, NIO ET5, Omoda O5, and the Seres SF5.

The Japanese brands have a mix of fully electric, electrified, and pure ICE models making it to the list. Among those is Honda with the HR-V based e:Ny1 crossover, the Lexus LBX, Mazda CX-50, Mazda CX-90, the Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Crosstrek, Suzuki Fronx, and Toyota Prius.

Meanwhile, Europe has three EVs and one pure ICE model on the list of candidates. The EVs consist of the Abarth 500e, the Volkswagen ID.7, and the Volvo EX30, while the pure ICE candidate is the Citroen C3 Aircross.

As expected, the Hyundai-Kia partnership made up the majority of the candidates list from Korea. Hyundai has the Kona Electric and Santa Fe, while Kia made it with the EV9. But the most surprising is the presence of KG Mobility. The brand formerly known as SsangYong has its Torres SUV making the list of candidates for the 2024 Car of the Year.

Lastly, the 3 vehicles from an American brand are the Chevrolet Trax, the Fisker Ocean, and the Ford Bronco.

The mechanics for vehicles eligible for World Car of the Year must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units/year, has to be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and must be “on sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents within the period January 1, 2022, and March 30, 2023.

There will also be multi-category entries, namely World Performance Car, World Urban Car, World Electric Vehicle, and World Car Design of the Year. These categories may also be contenders in the overall World Car of the Year class, depending on type and pricing. All vehicles eligible for other World Car award categories are automatically eligible for World Car Design of the Year.

For now, the category placement for each of the 2024 WCA-eligible vehicles is currently being determined.

Which car do you think will win the 2024 World Car of the Year Award? Let us know in the comments.