SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) — South Korean automakers Kia Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. were honored in the German Car of the Year 2024 (GCOTY) Awards. Kia’s all-electric EV9 SUV was named the Luxury category winner, while Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 sedan was the New Energy category victor.
The EV9 triumphed over eight competitors, including BMW’s XM SUV and Lexus’ RZ SUV, while the Ioniq 6 beat out Mercedes-Benz’s EQE SUV and Rolls-Royce’s Spectre. Both vehicles can travel more than 500 kilometers on a single charge.
Kia’s EV9 will be released in Europe later this year, and this award is evidence of its high quality. The EV9 and Ioniq 6 are now contenders for the German Car of the Year, to be announced in October.
At the GCOTY Awards, 38 auto journalists evaluate 48 new models across five categories: Compact, Premium, Luxury, New Energy, and Performance. Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Kia’s EV6 were the Premium category winners at the GCOTY 2022 awards, and the Genesis GV60 SUV won the Premium category at the GCOTY 2023 awards. All these models are built on Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP dedicated EV platform.