BMW New 7 Series: Import Car of the Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The Korea Automobile Journalists Association announced on the 22nd that the new Hyundai Grandeur has been selected as the 2023 Car of the Year.
Earlier, on the 8th, the decision was made after evaluating 18 new cars shortlisted as finalists for Car of the Year at the Automobile Safety Research Institute in Hwaseong. The new Grandeur received a comprehensive satisfaction score of 80.75 points (out of 100), narrowly surpassing the new BMW 7 Series (80.43 points). The new BMW 7 Series was selected as the Import Car of the Year.
In this year’s final evaluation, 18 models from 13 brands including Hyundai, BMW, Kia, Land Rover, Renault Korea, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, SsangYong, Audi, Genesis, Ford, Porsche, and Polestar competed. The evaluation used 10 criteria from the perspectives of vehicle characteristics and consumer purchase intent: exterior design, interior and emotional quality, instrument operation convenience, handling and driving feel, acceleration performance, NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) performance, high-speed stability and braking performance, safety and convenience equipment, fuel efficiency and maintenance, and vehicle price and purchase intention.
The Grandeur received consistently high scores across most evaluation categories, including noise and vibration (NVH), instrument operation convenience, and handling and driving feel. It is Hyundai’s largest and most expensive sedan, marking its 36th year since launch. The evaluation was conducted on the 7th generation fully redesigned model released last November.
The Import Car of the Year was awarded to the BMW new 7 Series, which scored 80.43 points overall. It received uniformly high marks particularly in noise and vibration and handling and driving feel. The Land Rover All-New Range Rover was named SUV of the Year, and the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake was selected as Utility Vehicle of the Year.
The EV of the Year went to the BMW 7 Series electric vehicle i7, and the Hyundai Grandeur was chosen for Design of the Year. Kia’s high-performance dedicated electric vehicle EV6 GT was recognized as Performance of the Year, while the Innovation of the Year was most frequently attributed to the theater screen technology applied in the new 7 Series.
Lee Seung-yong, president of the Korea Automobile Journalists Association, said, "We selected the Car of the Year through a more thorough evaluation and verification process than ever before, including real vehicle tests conducted in the morning and afternoon on the main test roads at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority’s Automobile Safety Research Institute on the 8th."
The Car of the Year award ceremony was attended by Ju Young-jun, Director General of Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Kim Ju-hong, Senior Executive Director of the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association; Jung Yoon-young, Vice Chairman of the Korea Imported Automobile Association; Eom Seong-bok, Director of the Automobile Safety Research Institute at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority; as well as Hyundai Vice President Yoo Won-ha, BMW Korea Vice President Bernhard Teriet, and other government officials, industry representatives, and members and executives of the journalists association.
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