(April 22, 2014) NEW YORK — The BMW i3 was declared the 2014 World Car Design of the Year. The World Car Design of the Year, and the corresponding award, is meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries.

"On behalf of the BMW design team, we are delighted that the BMW i3 has received the World Car Design of the Year award," said Dr. Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW. "Our designers created a car that, through its design and use of sustainable materials, is an expression of the future."

Twenty-eight candidates were eligible for the honor of being the 2014 World Car Design of the Year.  Candidates may be on the overall World Car of the Year list or may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is available in quantities of at least 10 in one major market during the period beginning Jan. 1, 2013 and ending May 31, 2014.  Candidates may be pre-production or all-new production.

A design panel consisting of five world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. 

The design experts are:  

Masatsugu Arimoto (Japan – Freelance design journalist)
Silvia Baruffaldi (Italy – Auto & Design magazine)
Gernot Bracht (Germany – Pforzheim Design School)
Sam Livingstone (U.K.  - Car Design Research and Royal College of Art)
Tom Matano (USA - School of Industrial Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco)

The experts commented that:  Unlike other BMW cars, the i3 has a boxy shape, which suggests roominess and efficiency. But it still retains BMW's typical dynamism thanks to the larger diameter wheels and the very short overhangs both on front and rear. Besides that, the i3 expresses the sub-brand's own character with using unique design features, including the black bonnet and the side window graphics that goes through the rear pillar. The interior is more surprising and attractive. It marks radical leap of car interior design, and it spreads as calm yet rich feeling as a modern living room."

The 69 World Car Awards jurors then voted on the expert's recommendations in February and their ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

A short-list of three finalists was then announced earlier this month at the Geneva International Motor Show: the BMW i3, the Mazda3 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Previous winners of the World Car Design of the Year award are the Jaguar F-Type in 2013, the Range Rover Evoque in 2012, the Aston Martin Rapide in 2011, the Chevrolet Camaro in 2010, the Fiat 500 in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi TT in 2007 and the Citroen C4 in 2006.