2014 European Car of the Year finalists revealed. Could the Mercedes S-Class win?

The finalists in the 2014 European Car of the Year have been revealed, with everything from the BMW i3 EV to the Mercedes S-Class listed.

Could the 2014 Mercedes S-Class (pictured) win the Car of the Year?

We’re at the end of 2013, so the time has arrived to take a look at the finalists for the 2014 European Car of the Year award.

In the last few years, despite Europe producing some of the most impressive luxury and performance cars on the planet, the Car of the Year Award has gone to much more prosaic machinery.

Last year it was the VW Golf that grabbed the gong, but the previous two years – 2011 and 2012 – saw the panel pick eco cars, with the Nissan LEAF winning in 2011 and the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera winning in 2012. But could 2014 be different?

In truth, it seems highly likely that the winner will be the new BMW i3 (or maybe the Tesla Model S), but proper European luxury is in with a shot at the title with the new Mercedes S-Class making the final short list of seven cars.

The task of finding a winner is down to a panel of judges mainly consisting of motoring journalists and members of the motoring industry – which probably guarantess and ‘eco’ car as the winner – but we can but hope the Mercedes S-Class grabs the gong.

The winner of the 2014 European Car of the Year will be announced at the 2014 Geneva Motor SHow in March.