Porsche, Kia dominate World Car awards

The Porsche Taycan won two of the five categories in the 2020 World Car Awards, as did the Kia brand, including Car of the Year for the Telluride SUV.

The battery-powered Taycan sports sedan was named Luxury Car of the Year, ahead of the Porsche 911 and Mercedes EQC. The Taycan was also named Performance Car of the Year in a Porsche-only contest, beating the 718 Spyder and the 911.

The winners were selected by 86 international jurors, including Automotive News Europe. The awards were to be handed out at the New York auto show on Wednesday, but the show was postponed due to the coronavirus crisis. The winners were announced on a video available on YouTube.

PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares was named Person of the Year, an honor announced in March. 

The Telluride, a model not sold in Europe, won Car of the Year over the Mazda CX-30 compact crossover and the Mazda 3 small hatchback. Kia’s other award-winner was the Soul EV, which was named Urban Car of the Year, ahead of the Mini Electric and the Volkswagen T-Cross.