What's all this about?

It’s only just the second month of 2024, but we're already well on the way to finding out which car will be crowned the 2024 World Car of the Year. The organisers have revealed the 10 contenders for the grand prize, plus category winners.

Ooh, a top 10, can you do it like a rundown of the pop charts?

Err, we'll just list them instead, thanks. We have six SUVs to kick off, with the US market Ford Bronco, the Hyundai Kona, Kia EV9 electric seven-seater, US/Mid East/Australia-bound Mazda CX-90 and compact electric Volvo EX30 all listed, while Hyundai has a second nomination in the shape of the Santa Fe.

There are two rivals for the Tesla Model 3 nominated, too, as the Chinese-built BYD Seal and upmarket Volkswagen ID.7 both earned a place on the shortlist, while the aerodynamic new Toyota Prius hybrid is also in contention. The final nomination goes to a car that straddles the SUV and hatchback worlds, in the shape of the Subaru Crosstrek, a car that recently replaced the XV in the company's line-up.

Surely the World Car of the Year must be sold globally, doesn't it?

That's not really the objective of the award. The global part of the prize boils down to who's judging them, which is a panel of more than 100 motoring journalists from 29 countries across the globe. All the judges will have driven and evaluated the cars from which the nominees are then collated. Saying all that, to be eligible for consideration, the cars must be on sale in at least two major markets on at least two continents for the year ending March 30, 2024.

OK fair enough. So, what about the category winners?

As well as the grand prize, there are five additional awards to be dished out, with five models for each shortlist.

While the overall World Car of the Year prize has five EVs shortlisted, not all of them made the World Electric Car of the Year list. Instead, this prize will be decided between the Kia EV9, Volkswagen ID.7 and Volvo EX90 all from the main list, while the BMW i5 executive and Mercedes EQE SUV luxury 4x4 have also been included.

Next up is the World Luxury Car gong, which is heavily weighted in Mercedes favour, because the EQE SUV earns another nomination here alongside the latest E-Class and the CLE coupe. These three take on the BMW 5 Series (including the electric i5), while a curveball is thrown in the shape of the Lexus LM luxury MPV.

For the World Performance Car category, traditional petrolheads prepare to be upset, because while traditional performance car makers are represented, three of the cars are SUVs and one is an EV. BMW has two nominations with the M2 Coupe and XM, while the Ferrari Purosangue and Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid make up the other SUVs. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the electric interloper in the final spot.

There's less controversy for the World Urban Car award, where the Abarth 500e electric hot hatch takes on small SUVs in the shape of the electric Volvo EX30, hybrid Lexus LBX and Suzuki Fronx (not sold in the UK), while the BYD Dolphin electric supermini completes the nominees in this class.

The final category is for World Car Design of the Year, and this sees six experts in the field – including the UK's Frank Stephenson, who's CV includes the BMW Mini, Fiat 500, Ferrari F430 and McLaren P1 – nominate five cars from the long list to go forward for the judges' vote. These comprise the Ford Bronco, Ferrari Purosangue, Toyota Prius, Volvo EX30 and the Zeekr X, an electric SUV which shares tech with the EX30 and Smart #1.

Well, that's certainly a comprehensive list. So, what happens now?

The next stage is for the World Car Awards panel to reveal the Top Three in the World, when an even shorter, er, shortlist will be announced at the Geneva motor show on 26 February. Then, one month later, on 27 March, the overall winner and category victors will be announced at the New York International Auto Show. This marks the 19th anniversary of the New York show hosting the final, while the road from nomination to overall victory has been chronicled by World Car TV on YouTube, if you want an inside look at how the process works.