The finalists for this year’s World Car Awards have finally been revealed. And it’s bad news, not only for our US readers, but also for fans of internal combustion engines. The short list is dominated by electrified vehicles. Indeed, just two non-hybrid/electric models made the cut.Numerous vehicles are up for the global awards, but attention largely falls to the big tamale. In that group, only one vehicle has an internal combustion engine. BMW, Nissan, And Hyundai Head For Thunderdome BMWThis year’s World Car Awards, the winners of which (rather hilariously) will be announced on April Fool’s Day at the New York International Auto Show, are broken down into six categories. Naturally, most eyes will be drawn to the overall World Car of the Year award, for which BMW’s iX3, the Hyundai Palisade SUV, and the all-electric Nissan Leaf are in contention. Fittingly, two of them – the Palisade and the Leaf – have already been voted Best Family Car and Best EV, respectively, in the equally prestigious 2025 Buzz Awards.That’s quite a range, given that the more sporting BMW iX3’s dual motor, 108.7 kilowatt-per-hour battery combo produces 463 horsepower, enabling the crossover to hit 60 mph from standstill in an estimated 4.7 seconds and 130 mph at the top end. Compare the $60,000-ish iX3, which won’t even be available in the USA until later this year, with the more mainstream seven-seater Palisade, prices for which start from $39,435, and the all-electric Nissan Leaf, which can be bought brand-new from just $29,990.Unsurprisingly, neither model can match the BMW for raw power. The Palisade, available with either a conventional V6 or hybrid-assisted four-cylinder (prices jump to $44,160 for the latter), peaks at 329 hp, while the more frugal Leaf produces, at most, 214 hp. Admittedly, the Leaf runs the BMW close on all-electric range, with an estimated 303 miles at full-charge to the iX3's 400-ish.HyundaiInterestingly, both the iX3 and the Leaf are also in contention for the World Electric Vehicle crown against Mercedes’ $47,250 premium CLA four-door coupe, power options for which range from 268 hp to the 349 hp 350 4MATIC model. The BMW and Nissan are also two of only three models up for two separate awards this year, the other being Volvo’s ES90 e-sedan. The Swedish brand’s mid-sized answer to the BMW i5 is also in the running for the World Car Design of the Year award against Kia's PV5 cargo van and Mazda’s 6e / EZ-6 e-sedan. BMW Takes On Hyundai N And Corvette E-Ray For World Performance Crown BMWIn the World Luxury Car category, the aforementioned Volvo goes head-to-head with the Cadillac Vistiq and the Lucid Gravity, the latter another Buzz Awards winner. Both the Cadillac and Lucid are available in the United States from just under $80,000. That’s in stark contrast with the World Urban Car class, meanwhile, since neither the Baojun Yep Plus – marketed as the Chevrolet Spark EUV in South America – or the Firefly EV are sold outside China. The Hyundai Venue crossover is the only one of the trio available in North America.ChevroletFinally, the fight for World Performance Car honors will be a big one, pitting as it does BMW’s heavy-hitting M2 CS against Chevy's Corvette E-Ray and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N (impressively, Hyundai is the only brand with more than two models on the WcotY's final short list). M division’s CS packs the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six as its base model, albeit with the wick turned up to 523 hp, enough for a zero to 60 mph sprint in a claimed 3.7 seconds.The hybrid Corvette, meanwhile, combines a 6.2-liter small block V8 with a front-mounted electric motor for a combined 655 hp and a bombastic zero to 60 mph run of just 2.5 seconds. The E-Ray can also be configured for electric front-wheel drive only with the tantalizingly-named Stealth Mode. Not to be outdone, the Ioniq 6 N comes close to outpacing the Corvette with a dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup producing 601 hp (or 641 hp with boost) and a zero to 60 mph run of 3.2 seconds.