It all started with 42 new cars. These were then whittled down to 10, and now there are just four potential winners of this year's coveted World Car Award.
The 2013 battle was apparently a tough one, and we certainly have had some gems launched in recent months. This is why the traditional three finalist positions have been increased to four. The final four is comprised of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the Porsche Boxster/Cayman, the Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S and the Volkswagen Golf.
This is the fourth time that Volkswagen has been in the final since 2009, with the up! taking the prize last year.
As well as the main award, the finalists have been announced for the contest's sub-categories, too. For the World Performance Car Award we have the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta sitting alongside the Boxster/Cayman and the GT86 triplets. Both Porsche and Ferrari are looking to take the crown again after the 911 won the award last year and the 458 took victory in 2011.
The World Green Car Award will be won by the Renault Zoe, the Tesla Model-S or the Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid. Due to the complexities of some of the technologies showcased here specialist judges from across the globe have been called upon to pick a winner, after a 66-strong jury decided on the finalists.
The 2013 World Car Design Award finalists have also been revealed as the Aston Martin Vanquish, the Jaguar F-Type and the Mazda6. Aston Martin has previously taken this crown in 2011 after it launched the One-77 supercar.
Winners for all these awards will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on 28th March.