Best cars in the world

Every year, automotive journalists from all over the globe select the best cars in the world.

The panel gives awards in four categories, which include World Car of the Year, World Performance Car, World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car.

Out of the total 66 jurors, there were four journalists from India - Renuka Kirpalani, Siddharth Vinayak, Patankar, Yogendra Pratrap and Hormazd Sorabjee.

Let's look at the best cars around the world that won in the four categories.

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Volkswagen Golf

The overall winner for this year is a subcompact car manufactured by German automaker since 1974. It is sold across the world under different brand names including Volkswagen Rabbit and Volkswagen Caribe.

The last three World Car of the Year winners include the Volkswagen Up! in 2012, the Nissan Leaf in 2011 and the Volkswagen Polo in 2010.

Click NEXT to see the runner ups in this category...

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

The hatchback was first introduced in 1997 and has been the entry-level model for Mercedes.

The car comes in four variants including a diesel. The base variant, A 180, comes with a 1,595 cc engine and the top most one, A 250 Sport has a 1,991 cc engine.

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Porsche Boxster / Cayman

Porsche Boxster is a mid-engine two-seater roadster built by Porsche.

The car is a compelling choice for sports car enthusiast with top speed of 164 mph (approx. 264 kmph) and goes 0 - 60 mph (0 - 96.5 kmph) in 5.5 seconds.

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Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 / GT 86

This sports coupe is developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru. It features a boxer engine and 2+2 seating.

The car is sold under different brand names in different regions. For example in Japan it is sold as Toyota 86 and as Scion FR-S in the US and Canada.

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Jaguar F-Type

Rival to Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4, and Mercedes-Benz SLK, the car was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show for the first time in 2011.

It has three variants. The base model (F-Type) has a V6 supercharged 340 PS engine and can go from 0-100 kmph in 5.4 seconds with a top speed of 260 kmph.

The F-Type V8 S features a V8 supercharged 495 PS engine that has a top speed of 300 kmph and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.9 seconds

Click NEXT to see the runner up in this category...

Aston Martin Vanquish

The official James bond car in Die Another Day, was launched in 2001 as a successor to the ageing Virage range. It features a 5,935 cc V12 engine that can go from 0-100 in 4.1 seconds.

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Mazda6

Competing with Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, this large family car has sold over a million units worldwide since its introduction in 2002.

It comes in three variants - Mazda6 Sport, Mazda6 Touring and Mazda6 Grand Touring. All the variants come with a 184-hp 2.5L SKYACTIV-G engine.

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Porsche Boxster / Cayman

Porsche Cayman is a coupe that is derived from Porsche's second and third generation Boxster. The car has a mid-engine and is also a two-seaters.

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Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

This supercar was introduced at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and comes as a replacement for the Ferrari 599 series grand tourers.

It houses a 6,262cc V12 engine that has a top speed of 340 kmph and goes 0 to 100 kmph in 3.1 seconds.

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Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 / GT 86

To be the runner up, the car beat well-known performance cars such as Audi S7 Sportback, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Jaguar F-Type.

Click NEXT to see the World Green Car of the year...

Tesla Model S

The deserving winner, Tesla Model S is well ahead of the pack when it comes to electric vehicles. Model S is offered with three battery options. These include a 60kWh and two 85kWh.

The 60 kWh can go up to 230 miles (approx. 370 kms) with a single charge and has a top speed of 120mph (193 kmph). And when it comes to performance, its top of the range, too. The car can go 0 to 60 mph (0 to 96.5 kmph) in 5.9 seconds. The 85 kWh battery can do the same in just 4.4 seconds.

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Renault Zoe

A perfect city car, Zoe comes with a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivers a range of 210 km.

To sweeten the travel, the car comes with a 'spa' package that is developed in association with Biotherm, the skin biology brand of L'Oreal's Luxury Products Division.

Using the air conditioner, this car can hydrate your skin, monitor quality of the air and check for harmful substances, and releases different scents depending on the needs of the moment.

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Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid

Volvo Cars and Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall jointly develop this car. It features a 2.4-litre D5 turbo diesel engine and a 11.2kWh battery.

Driver can choose between three driving modes - Pure, Hybrid and Power. In Pure mode, the car mostly runs on electric motor and can travel up to 50 km on a single charge.

In Hybrid mode, the diesel and electric motor works together and in Power mode the electric motor aids performance.

The car can achieve 0 to 100 kmph in 6.1 second and has a top speed of 230 kmph.