For the first time since the motor vehicle was invented over 200 years ago, women motoring writers from around the world will choose their car of the year.
Ten women motoring journalists will participate in this inaugural award and New Zealand's representative is Aucklander, Sandy Myhre.
Other jury members hail from North America, India, South Africa, UK, Australia and Europe. Some have contested national rallies, one has taken part in several marathon rallies and another is involved in circuit racing. All are established writers or broadcasters.
The women will choose cars from a short list to decide four separate category winners - family car of the year, sports car of the year, luxury car of the year and the best economical car. The supreme award winner will then be chosen and announced at the end of the year.
Myhre says the voting criteria will be unlike other car of the year awards.
"Most awards are chosen by a huge majority of men who tend to view cars differently to women.
"We will look at driveability, obviously, but we won't delve into horsepower or torque too much.
"We will examine whether a car is child-friendly, whether it is value for money, what the carbon footprint is like, in fact all those things women genuinely want to know about before they buy a car."
A short-list of 21 vehicles has been compiled from cars new to the market between September 2008 and September 2009. The chosen models need to be on sale in at least ten countries.
The international panel of women judges plan to assemble at the head office of the winning car company when the supreme award-winner receives the trophy in November this year. It's an unknown destination at this point but their presence will create another milestone.
There has never been a time when women motoring writers, as group, have gathered together in the one place.
"As female automotive journalists we are still very much in the minority" said Myhre
"This award reflects changing times when you consider that today women make the final decision in as much as 85 percent of all cars sold."
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