VnExpress newspaper recently hosted the Car Awards 2023 Gala on January 14th. This event is regarded as the leading professional program in Vietnam for recognizing and honoring outstanding automotive products. Organized annually by VnExpress newspaper since 2021, it aims to provide a reliable and comprehensive reference source derived from evaluations conducted by top experts and experienced users in the automotive industry.
Now in its third year, Car Awards continues to fulfill its vision of being the most prestigious annual automotive award in Vietnam. It is highly anticipated throughout the year. The program strives to maintain a strong sense of professionalism and objectivity while staying closely connected to users and accurately reflecting their habits in the Vietnamese automotive market.
Car Awards 2023 officially kicked off in July 2023, featuring a series of exciting programs designed to provide diverse experiences for consumers and car enthusiasts nationwide. The highlight of Car Awards 2023 is the “Car of the Year” voting program.
The “Car of the Year” voting program, at the heart of Car Awards 2023, consists of three award categories: “Car of the Year by segment,” “New Star,” and “Car of the Year for the whole market.”
Outstanding car models in the Vietnamese market are comprehensively evaluated by an Expert Panel using a rigorous scoring system to ensure fairness and objectivity. The Expert Panel comprises respected journalists and automobile evaluation experts.
“Car of the Year by segment”
The “Car of the Year by segment” award acknowledges exceptional car models in the overall market and specific segments throughout 2023. Eligible cars must be launched between December 2022 and November 2023. To ensure a comprehensive product experience, only car models that have been delivered to customers or have a significant number of deliveries are considered for nomination.
To maintain competitiveness, Car Awards only honors the “Car of the Year” in segments that have a minimum of three launched cars. By the end of November 2023, six segments in the Vietnamese market meet this criteria. These segments include B-segment sedans, B-segment crossovers, C-segment crossovers, D-segment SUV/Crossovers, small-sized luxury SUVs, and mid-sized luxury SUVs.
The evaluation criteria consist of over 40 factors grouped into seven categories: Exterior, Interior, Convenience, Driving Support, Performance, Safety Technology, and Operating Cost. To better align with market trends, the “sales volume” criterion is introduced as an additional indicator for evaluation when cars achieve the same highest score in their segment or the whole market. In such cases, the car with a higher average monthly sales figure receives an advantage in becoming the “Car of the Year” in its segment or the whole market.
In the third year, Car Awards 2023 continues to employ the “importance coefficient” formula, which reflects the significance of factors in users’ car purchase decisions. Each criterion is scored on a scale of 0-5 in 0.5 steps and then multiplied by an “importance coefficient” ranging from 1 to 3. Criteria of high importance have a coefficient of 3, moderately important criteria have a coefficient of 2, and less important criteria have a coefficient of 1. The coefficients may vary depending on the car type, such as gasoline/diesel vehicles versus electric vehicles and luxury cars versus standard cars. For instance, safety technology has a coefficient of 3 for all car types, while interior material has a coefficient of 2 for standard cars and a coefficient of 3 for luxury cars.
Each car model can accumulate a maximum of 400 points based on its scores across all criteria, multiplied by the corresponding coefficients. The car model with the highest score in each segment will be named the “Car of the Year” in that segment.
“New Star”
The “New Star” category receives significant attention from users and car enthusiasts participating in Car Awards. It is a non-scored category, selected by the Organizing Committee to honor novel car models that make a unique impact on the Vietnamese automotive industry. These models are well-regarded for their advanced technologies and highly rated by customers.
“Car of the Year for the whole market”
This grand award is presented by the Organizing Committee and is chosen from the top-ranked car models in each segment, as well as car models in non-ranked segments (segments with only 1-2 cars launched in 2023).
The Jury Board selects the awarded car models based on the criteria of outstanding performance within the segment, trend update level that triggers demand, and customer accessibility within the segment. In the event of a tie, where two or more car models receive the same score, the Organizing Committee makes the final decision.
ACCOMPANYING PROGRAMS OF CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS
The “Car of the Year” voting program is accompanied by numerous engaging activities that attract the attention and participation of industry experts and car enthusiasts nationwide.
Review My Car – a platform for readers to evaluate their own cars:
Implemented from the end of July 2023 to the end of December 2023, Review My Car has received over 200 entries and has become the top interactive space on the Xe/VnExpress website.
Through Review My Car, readers from all over the country share their stories, experiences, comments, and evaluations of the cars they own. The authors of the top 3 most popular reviews, determined by readers and highly evaluated by the expert panel, will receive valuable prizes from the Organizing Committee.
Driving Skills – a program providing guidance on safe driving skills:
Commencing in October 2023, Driving Skills comprises a series of short videos in which safe driving experts provide advice on various driving skills, laws, and traffic culture. The videos cover basic as well as advanced levels, encompassing skills required for street driving, highway driving, mountainous roads, and various weather conditions. This program helps users to develop accurate situational awareness and ensure safety during driving.
Car Talks – a discussion series on car-related topics:
Car Talks is a series of discussion programs held throughout Car Awards 2023. The series aims to address topics of public concern in the automotive industry while providing readers with new and valuable knowledge in this field. This year’s Car Talks focuses on exploring issues related to the development of electric cars. The program features the participation of industry experts and consumers.
Car Show – the first Electric Vehicle Exhibition in Vietnam:
This event, which took place over two days (January 13-14, 2024) at Yen So Park, provided users with the opportunity to access a variety of electric vehicle models available in the market. It aimed to increase awareness and understanding of emission-reducing vehicle technologies.
The highlight of the exhibition was the display area showcasing electric vehicles and accessories from brands that offer electric vehicles in Vietnam. It featured pure electric vehicle models such as VinFast VF 5 to VF 9, ranging from A+ to E-segment, Hyundai’s electric vehicle Ioniq 5, Genesis – Hyundai’s sub-brand with the G80 electric model, MG’s electric sports model Cyberster, Haima – a new brand in the Vietnamese market, with the 7X-E model, and Wuling Hongguang Mini EV – the smallest and most affordable electric vehicle in the Vietnamese market. Additionally, there was a presence of hybrid cars, including Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Kicks, Honda CR-V, and Haval H6.
Visitors to the exhibition had the opportunity to test drive dozens of car models, providing a unique experience that helps users make informed purchasing decisions. They also had access to new and in-depth information about the electric vehicle trend and the most desirable green car models today through sharing and discussions with experts and car brands.
The electric vehicle exhibition not only catered to car enthusiasts but also served as a place to bring families together, offering exciting activities such as camping, remote-controlled off-road racing, creative car drawing contests, throwing rings, and lucky draws with attractive prizes.
The six-month journey of Car Awards 2023 concluded with the Car of the Year Awards Gala, a vibrant and emotional night of honoring excellence. The program was attended by representatives of car manufacturers, technical experts, safety experts, experienced users, representatives of businesses in the automotive industry, and the press.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS
After analyzing articles and conducting rigorous evaluations, the highly coveted “Car of the Year” award was bestowed upon the Honda CR-V on the evening of January 14th.
Car Awards 2023 also recognized exceptional car models in specific categories. The Honda City received the “Car of the Year” award in the B-segment sedan category, while the Mercedes GLC and Porsche Cayenne were awarded in the small luxury car and midsize luxury car categories respectively. The VinFast VF 5 was honored as the New Star of 2023.
In addition, the Car of the Year award winners in various segments included the VinFast VF 6 in the B-segment CUV category, the Honda CR-V in the C-segment CUV category, and the Kia Sorento in the D-segment SUV category.
TH (Tuoitrethudo)
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