SHORTLIST: World Car Of The Year..

he 2009 World Car of the Year shortlists have been announced. Unsurprisingly there is only a single US car amongst them.

Besides the main award, three other categories – world performance car, green car and car design of the year – are part of the 2009 awards, with the winners to be announced at the New York auto show on April 9.

Competing in the headline World Car of the Year category are three hatchbacks – Ford Fiesta, VW Golf 6 and Toyota iQ.

The shortlist for World Performance Car are the Corvette ZR1, Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911, contrasted by the World Green Car nominees - Honda FCX, Toyota iQ (the only double nominee) and Mitsubishi i MiEV.

Design students will take keen interest in the car design of the year finalists, Fiat's 500, the Jaguar XF and Citroën C5.

Cars selected by the jury of 59 motoring journalists (from 25 countries) have to be sold on at least two continents to be eligible - which leaves us a little confused as to why the stubbornly left-hand drive, essentially non EU-zone, ZR1 is on the list.

Seems if you sell plenty in the US, and a couple in the Gulf states, it qualifies you as a true global player...