The ten finalists of the World Car of the Year 2012 have been revealed, meaning we're closer to finding out what will take the coveted title from last year's winner, the Nissan Leaf.

A shortlist of three will be announced at the Geneva Motor Show in March, before the overall winner is revealed at the New York Auto Show at the beginning of April.

The list, compiled based on the opinions of 66 expert jurors worldwide, is largely predictable, although we'd suggest it's the strongest top ten for years - possibly ever.

Here it is, in alphabetical order:
  1. Audi A6 Sedan / Avant
  2. Audi Q3
  3. BMW 1 Series
  4. BMW 3 Series
  5. Chevrolet Volt / Vauxhall Ampera
  6. Citroen DS5
  7. Ford Focus
  8. Land Rover Evoque
  9. Porsche 911
  10. Volkswagen Up
We'd probably put the Volkswagen Up as the favourite, although a good eight of the ten have a proper shout. The two that don't, we'd suggest, are the Audi Q3 and the Citroen DS5.

Having already evaluated and voted on the eligible cars once, each of the 66 jurors (every one of them a "distinguished international automotive journalist," according to organisers) must re-evaluate the top ten and cast more votes.

Each car is ranked based on a number of categories, including value, safety, eco friendliness, emotional appeal and significance.

The Performance Car of the Year shortlist has been announced, too. It is:
  1. Audi RS 3 Sportback
  2. BMW 1 Series M Coupé
  3. BMW M5
  4. Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
  5. Ferrari FF
  6. Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
  7. McLaren MP4-12C
  8. Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG
  9. Mercedes-Benz C-63 Coupe AMG Black Series
  10. Porsche 911
Same rules apply.