New York - The coveted 2016 World Car of the Year awards took place in the 'Big Apple' earlier in March.
The awards coincided with the 2016 New York International Auto show.
Read: NY motor show: 5 SA-bound cars you need to see
Unlike the 2016 South African Car of the Year competition, which was won by the Volvo XC90, the World edition is separated into categories.
Below are the winners:
World car of the year: Mazda MX-5
The rear-drive, two-door iconic sports car's win is a victory for driving enthusiasts. The MX-5 is powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre engine, and cogs are changed via a sweet six-speed manual 'box.
However, the standard limited-slip differential and its rear-wheel drive means driving excitement is dialed up to 11 - most of the time.
The winner of the WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR 2016 is THE MAZDA MX-5!! #MX5 #WCOTY2016 pic.twitter.com/JEWJrYR01y
— World Car Awards (@WorldCarAwards) March 24, 2016
World performance car of the year: Audi R8 coupe
The R8 retains its naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10. Power is a huge 397kW/540Nm. The V10 is also mated to the same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Expect the new R8 to arrive locally later in 2016.
World Performance Car of 2016 is the #Audi #R8! Shortly to scorch Indian roads and magazine covers! #WCOTY2016 pic.twitter.com/0kLCchNHgh
— Sirish Chandran (@SirishChandran) March 24, 2016
World design car of the year: Mazda MX-5
The #WCOTY2016 World Car Design of the Year 2016 is @Mazda_PR #MX-5 #NYIAS16 @IndiaToday @AUTOTODAYMAG pic.twitter.com/EHrI455Izo
— Yogendra Pratap (@YogenPratap) March 24, 2016
World luxury car of the year: BMW 7-Series - We drove the 7-Series in January and were enthralled by the luxury. However, we'd need to drive the long-wheel base version to use the technology punted by the Bavarians.
The #WCOTY2016 World Luxury Car is the @BMW #7-series at #NYIAS16 @IndiaToday @AUTOTODAYMAG @WorldCarAwards pic.twitter.com/HqEccqTZQo
— Yogendra Pratap (@YogenPratap) March 24, 2016
World green carof the year: Toyota Mirai
World Green Car of 2016 is the #Toyota #Mirai #WCOTY2016 pic.twitter.com/rCltnVeTO9
— Sirish Chandran (@SirishChandran) March 24, 2016