(Wed 27 Feb 08)

The 2008 World Car of the Year will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on March 20.

This is all a bit complex, because there are several categories. The World Car award itself will be decided from a shortlist consisting of the Audi A5 (pictured), Audi R8, Cadillac CTS, Ford Mondeo, Ford S-MAX, Mazda2, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Qashqai, Infiniti G37 Coupé and Volvo C30.

Then there's the World Performance Car, which will be chosen from the AMG Mercedes-Benz S 63, Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster, Audi R8, Audi S5, BMW M3, Clio Renaultsport F1 Team R27, Honda Civic Type-R, Maserati GranTurismo, Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series and Mercedes-Benz CL 63.

Most of the ten finalists for the World Green Car award are unknown in the UK. The ones on sale here are the BMW 118d with EfficientDynamics, Lexus LS 600h L, smart fortwo cdi and Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion.

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