Audi A3 is the 2014 World Car of the Year

The Audi A3 has been voted the ‘World Car of the Year’ for 2014, beating off competition from cars like the BMW i3, Mazda3 and the Peugeot 308.

The New York Auto Show is the place where the World Car of the Year winner is announced, so with the show now underway comes the news that it’s the Audi A3 that’s grabbed the gong for the best car in the world in 2014.

It’s the second time Audi has won the award – the Audi A6 won in 2005 – and probably holds up a mirror to the changing face of the world’s car landscape; more compact, ‘Premium’ cars are now the most favoured buy.

But really, the Audi A3 isn’t just a single car.

It offers a range of three body styles – Sportback, Saloon and Cabriolet – comes with a wide range of TFSI petrol and TDI engines and will soon be joined by the A3 e-tron with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Rupert Stadler, Audi’s Chairman, said:

The Audi A6 was the first ever winner of this award and we are delighted that the Audi A3 has repeated that achievement by being voted 2014 World Car of the Year.

The Audi A3 showcases Audi’s technical competence in all aspects of car making, not least in the areas of lightweight technology, drivetrain, mobile infotainment and driver assistance systems. This major award win is an achievement that the whole company can celebrate.

Judged by a 69-strong panel of judges from 22 countries, the Audi A3 is a pragmatic choice and does make far more sense than bestowing the award on a small-selling EV, which seems to be the norm these days.