The countdown has now begun in preparation for the 2011 World Car Awards winners’ press conference which will be co-hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 21. The 2011 World Car of the Year and the 2011 World Performance Car will be declared at this time. The top three finalists in all award categories will be announced at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday, March 1st. The 458 Italia is also through to the last stage a second category of these important awards, 2011 World Car Design of the Year, although no Italian car made the 2011 World Car of the Year final shortlist.

A jury of sixty-six international automotive journalists selected the following top ten finalists in both categories by secret ballot, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work.  The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, as well as other parts of the world. The international accounting firm KPMG then tabulated the jurors’ ballots and announced the top ten finalists in both categories.

As well as the 458 Italia and Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, the final shortlist for the 2011 World Performance Car award is completed by the Aston Martin Rapide, Audi RS 5 Coupe, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, two finalists from Mercedes-Benz, the S63/CL 63 AMG and the SLS AMG, also a duo from Porsche, its 911 GT2RS and 911 Turbo, and completing the list, the Renault Megane III / Renault Sport

The jurors’ next step is to re-evaluate the “top ten” cars in preparation for a final round of voting this month. They will specifically rate each vehicle in terms of overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal, and significance. KPMG will again tabulate the vote results. The top three finalists will be announced at the Geneva International Motor Show on March 1st during a press conference co-hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and the New York International Auto Show.

Now in their eighth year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind. The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs. Previous World Performance Car winners were the Audi R8 V10 in 2010, the Nissan GT-R in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi RS4 in 2007 and the Porsche Cayman S in 2006.