The nominees for the 2010 World Car of the Year have been announced. The award will be presented at the New York International Auto Show in March. Lastyear's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, and runners up included the Ford Fiesta and Toyota iQ. The winners of the 3 categories-- Car of the Year, Performance Car of the Year and Green Car of the Year-- are voted on by 59 automotive writers from 23 countries. Nominees must be either brand new to the market or substantially revised for the 2010 model year.

Here are the nominees:

2010 World Car of the Year:

Audi Q5

BMW X1

Chevrolet Cruze

Kia Soul

Mazda Mazda 3

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Opel/Vauxhall Insignia/ Buick Regal

Porsche Panamera

Toyota Prius

Volkswagen Golf

2010 World Performance Car of the Year:

Aston Martin V12 Vantage

Audi R8 V10

Audi TT RS Coupe/Roadster

BMW Z4

Ferrari California

Jaguar XFR

Lotus Evora

Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG

Nissan 370Z

Porsche 911 GT3

Porsche Boxster/Cayman

2010 World Green Car of the Year

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid

Honda Insight

Toyota Prius

Volkswagen Bluemotion model range

May the best car win!

Source: leftlanenews.com