KEY POINTS:
Nine finalists have been announced for the New Zealand Car of the Year.
They are the Fiat 500, the FG-series Ford Falcon, the new Honda Accord Euro, Hyundai's i30, Jaguar's XF sedan, the new Mazda6, Nissan's X-Trail, the Subaru Forester and VW's Tiguan.
Each is judged on how well it performs the purpose for which it's designed plus safety, handling, economy, value for money and looks.
The car of the year is chosen by members of the New Zealand Motoring Writers' Guild, with the winner announced in January.
Past winners include the current Mazda2, the Porsche Cayman, Ford Mondeo and Accord Euro.
