World Car Awards takes over Women's World Car of the Year program

UPDATE - follow-up to World Car Awards to acquire Women's Worldwide Car of the Year program: The World Car Awards has officially acquired the Women's World Car of the Year program. The same non-profit association that runs the World Car Awards will now manage both programs.

Structure And Plans

Under the new deal, the Women's World Car of the Year will run under a dedicated steering committee as part of the World Car Awards. The organization plans to work with current and past jurors from the women's program to shape the 2027 edition. They will use the existing systems and processes of the World Car Awards for this work. Beth Rhind, who is the co-founder and executive vice-president of the World Car Awards, spoke about the move. She stated that the team values the hard work done by the women's program team. She added that the goal is to build a strong brand that gives visibility to women in the auto world and makes their voices heard globally. The organization will share details about jurors, award categories, and the timeline for the 2027 awards at a later date.

Background Facts

The World Car Awards started in 2004 and includes 98 auto journalists, such as Autocar India Editor-in-Chief Hormazd Sorabjee. The BMW iX3 won the 2026 World Car of the Year title. Meanwhile, the Women's World Car of the Year began in 2009 and features 86 women jurors. This group includes Autocar India team members Renuka Kirpalani, who is consulting editor for videos, and Mugdha Mishra, who is editor for auto media strategy. The Nissan Leaf took home the overall winner prize for the 2026 edition of the women's program.