- Chinese automakers grabbed 27 of 56 initial World Car Awards candidates, reflecting aggressive global expansion and efforts to secure non-luxury market share across multiple segments.
- Candidates must hit at least 10,000 annual production, be sold through dealers in two continents by March 19, 2027, and include models such as BYD Ti 7, XPeng G6 2026 and Zeekr 8X.
- Chinese entries will directly challenge established models like BMW i3 and Mercedes GLA, but execution risks include meeting export timing, scaling dealer networks and maintaining margins amid intensified price competition.
The World Car Awards announced the first batch of candidate models for its 2027 awards on Sept. 29, with 56 vehicles making the initial list. Models from Chinese brands accounted for 27 of them, or about 48%.
The Chinese brands represented include BYD, Chery, Changan, Geely, GAC, Leapmotor, SAIC, NIO, and XPeng.
The 2027 World Car of the Year is one of the awards’ highest-profile categories.
Under the eligibility rules, candidate models must have annual production of at least 10,000 units, while their prices in major sales markets cannot reach luxury-car levels.
Models must also have entered at least two continents between Jan. 1, 2026, and March 19, 2027, and be commercially available in at least two major markets.
The major markets currently listed include China, Europe, India, Japan, South Korea, Latin America and the United States.
Vehicles must be sold through dealers, meaning models available only for pre-order are not eligible.
This means models entering the World Car of the Year candidate list already need to have an established overseas sales presence.
Chinese candidates in the main World Car of the Year category include BYD Ti 7, Changan Nevo Q05, Chery Q, Deepal S05, Deepal S07, Exeed Exlantix ET, Exeed RX, GAC Aion UT, GAC Aion V, Geely EX2, Geely Starray EM-i, iCAUR v23, Jetour G700, Jetour T2, Leapmotor B10, Leapmotor C10, Leapmotor T03, Lepas L6 EV, Lepas L8 PHEV, Lynk & Co 900, MG MG4 EV Urban, Omoda 4, ONVO L90, XPeng G6 2026, XPeng L03, XPeng P7+ and Zeekr 8X.
The 27 Chinese models will compete against international models including the BMW i3, Hyundai Ioniq 3, Kia Telluride, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Trailseeker and Volvo EX60.
The initial list shows that Chinese brands are no longer concentrated in a single price segment or new-energy vehicle category, with candidates spanning SUVs, sedans and different vehicle sizes.
In the World Urban Car category, five models from Chinese brands — Chery Q, Exeed Exlantix ET, Geely EX2, iCAUR v23 and Leapmotor T03 — made the candidate list.
Their competitors include the Mercedes-Benz GLA, Hyundai Bayon and Kia EV2.
Leapmotor T03 and Chery Q are both candidates in the World Car of the Year and World Urban Car categories.
In the World Luxury Car category, Avatr 06 & 07, XPeng X9 and Zeekr 9X are among the candidates. Their competitors include the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Jaguar Type 01 and Range Rover GT.
The World Performance Car category features Lynk & Co 02 and Zeekr 7 GT, which will compete against models including the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1/ZR1X, Genesis GV60 Magma, Lotus Eletre X and Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric.
Geely Group has particularly broad representation in this year’s awards.
Its four brands — Geely, Lynk & Co, Zeekr and LEVC — have a combined eight models on the first candidate list, spanning categories including urban, luxury and performance cars.
The candidate lists for World Electric Vehicle and World Car Design of the Year have not yet been announced. More Chinese models are expected to enter the competition in subsequent rounds.
The final winners in each category of the 2027 World Car Awards are scheduled to be announced on March 24, 2027.
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