MotorTrend’s highest honour is its Performance Vehicle of the Year (PVOTY). Billed as ‘the highest level of automotive competition’, and finally let out of the bag, this year MotorTrend gathers the finest ‘some sort of performance cars’ cars in the world for the voting public’s pleasure. Or does it? Who are the contenders, how are they evaluated or tested, and who will end up winning the PVOTY crown? In the following article, we answer those questions, and more
The Significance of the PVOTY Competition
Yet the MotorTrend Performance Vehicle of the Year is about much more than an annual showdown. For 25 years, MT’s editors have staged this epic battle because the motor that makes America’s cars run is (was?) the V-8, and if an engine embodies everything that’s right and wrong with an automobile, then the car that carries the decade’s famed 8-cylinder engine ought to be the one that sets the standard for excellence – the one that every other performance car should mimic and measure itself against. Winning the Performance Vehicle of the Year means that the vehicle has shown to be better than the rest, and that its maker chose to set a bit of a precedent.
For customers, the PVOTY competition is a vital guide to what the market has to offer: upcoming year models are scrutinised in terms of speed, handling, spaciousness, driver comfort, Tour de France winning, left and right turns, air velocity, dashboard placements, road noise, best-side-to-look-at when stopped at a red light in downtown Chicago, and best-side-to-look-at when buying a pre-owned model from a Bahamian stripper who paid cash to roll the dice against the house. By ostentatiously comparing the global crop in side-by-side tests, the supremely well-paid technicians enhance the individual sales proposition that each automaker design team aspires to deliver: that their car, no matter how much the competition scoffs, is in a class of its own. Airplanes can’t win prizes, neither can spacecraft, nuclear reactors or assorted ingenious gadgets invented to keep the military complex thriving. It takes more promising passion than to unveil the reliable, bomb-proof, proliferation-worthy, unbreakable, idiot-proof, bread-and-circus-capable weapon systems on the Pentagon’s Christmas wish list.
The Selection Criteria and Evaluation Process
The competition is based on the book’s longstanding car-testing programme, whereby vehicles are judged on the basis of parameters including acceleration, braking, handling, ride quality, and the overall driving experience, as well as design-related features, technical innovation, and – most importantly – value-for-money considerations. Contenders must also be either all-new models or substantially updated versions of existing cars, giving the competition an added degree of difficulty.
But the testing is multistage and extensive, starting with preliminary testing and ending with road-testing in the real world. MotorTrend’s panel of judges – comprised of seasoned automotive journalists and experts from the automotive industry with indepth automotive knowledge – put every car through a battery of tests, including track testing and road testing to gauge their performance. Each of the test accounts for everything including hard data and subjective impressions. It is truly a deliberate and substantive process which ensures a PVOTY winner that deserves the title.
The Contenders of 2024
As you can tell from the list below, this will be an interesting year for fans of that coveted trophy. Our automotive engineers have come up with a superb lineup of PVOTY contenders to offer something for everyone, whether you are into high-powered sports cars, luxury sedans, electric vehicles or a vehicle with no pedals at all. To begin, there is the sexy new all-electric Audi R8 E-Tron GT; the bold, experimental Taycan Turbo S from Porsche; and, in a rare break from tradition, the long awaited all-new Ferrari 296 GTB. Then there is the hotly anticipated Bentley Continental GT with a high-velocity motorcar mode. Also looking good and performing even better will be the head-turning Porsche 911 GT3 RS, with its swanky new dashboard and steering wheel – not to mention its stellar performance scores in horsepower, acceleration and handling finesse. The planet’s largest car market, China, has entered the PVOTY race this year with the long awaited Nio EP9, made especially for that market. And, as usual, the top spot is hotly contested among the reigning masters of performance vehicles like Tesla, with its Tesla Model S Plaid.
Smaller brands are also well-represented, with several underdog entries making for a deep nomination pool this year. These include the new Corvette Z06, the incomparable engine of a car with a track-focused aesthetic, as well as the BMW M3 Competition, the German luxury car that offers authentic performance. And then there are the electric vehicles: Megacorporation Lucid Motors enters into the running with its Lucid Air Dream Edition, a car capable of matching or exceeding the straight-line performance of any competitor thanks to its 1,111 horsepower and quite respectable 481 miles of range. The variety of vehicles in contention for the PVOTY speaks to the sheer depth of choice, but also to the importance of the prize.
Technological Innovations in the 2024 Lineup
The most exciting part of the 2024 PVOTY competition is the sheer technological sophistication of the cars being considered. This year’s crop is chock-full of innovations in aerodynamics, powertrains and driver assistance systems. For instance, the Ferrari 296 GTB features a hybrid powertrain in which a V6 engine adds a second dose of power via two electric motors on the crankshaft. At the same time, the high-voltage battery improves efficiency. The Tesla Model S Plaid makes use of a tri-motor configuration that offers a level of acceleration (0-60 mph in less than two seconds) and range (more than 400 miles) never experienced or even imagined before. Such innovations not only represent a technological tour de force, but improve the overall driving experience.
In addition to innovations in powertrain, most contenders offer a range of next-generation driver-assistance and connectivity features. The 911 GT3 features ‘Porsche Stability Management’ and ‘Porsche Torque Vectoring’, traction control and vehicle stability management, respectively – innovative technologies tailored to provide enhanced handling. The Lucid Air Dream Edition boasts a full array of driver-assistance features, including automated adaptive cruise control and automated lane-keeping. PVOTY-calibre performance vehicles of these types epitomise the development of next-generation vehicles: both tech-forward and fast.
The Finalists and the Winner
After robust testing and evaluation, judges eliminate all but the best of the best – the vehicles that, through their performance, design and innovation, lead the pack. The winners of the 2024 finalists spotlight excellence in the world of performance automobiles: Ferrari 296 GTB, Porsche 911 GT3, Tesla Model S Plaid, and Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Every choice made is fiercely debated, as all four vehicles perform exquisitely in different ways, making the decision to select these particular finalists extremely difficult. The range of performance vehicles represented in the top four finalists and the bar set for achieving any of these spots reflect the variety of incredible counterparts competing body to body to remain the best in the industry.
Finally, the judges choose one of the vehicles as the Performance Vehicle of the Year; the car chosen this year is called the Ferrari 296 GTB. This car puts everything together – speed, accuracy and technological innovation in one marvelous package. The hybrid drive makes the car even more fun to drive, and less guilt-inducing for the driver. Both its design and aerodynamic characteristics are cutting-edge.The Ferrari 296 GTB is this year’s award-winner, a victory that places it at the forefront of the performance car segment.
Implications and Future Trends
This is likely to greatly influence vehicle development: the new Ferrari 296 GTB as well as the late-release nominee for the 2024 PVOTY, the Tesla Model S Plaid clearly demonstrate that hybrid or electric powertrains will continue to play an increasingly significant role in the ‘pure’ performance segment. Combined with environmental commitments, this could lead to a new era of green performance. Automakers can be expected to continue with further developments to meet changing demands of the market and new regulatory requirements.
For the future, we can see some general trends in vehicle technology coming from the 2024 PVOTY competition. In short, we predict that competition vehicles of the future will only become more integrated with technology and more sustainable. Competition cars of tomorrow will house more advanced driver-assistance systems, more connectivity, more efficient engines among others. The competition will also (hopefully) continue to demand greater focus on sustainable performance, encouraging traditional performance-vehicle manufacturers to present cutting-edge vehicles that balance performance and act as a win-win solution on the issue of sustainability. Looking at the future of the PVOTY and the automotive industry, this is genuinely good news for consumers. This also suggests that the competition will serve as a focal point for determining trends in the automotive world.
Conclusion
Each year, MotorTrend’s Performance Vehicle of the Year (PVOTY) competition selects crown jewels from the top of the performance autos echelon. Now in its seventh season, the annual competition has defined elite vehicle design for superior performance, entertainment and driving emotion. The 2024 PVOTY selection process, class of competitors, and cutting-edge technologies presented brilliant benchmarks against which all other performance vehicles will be measured. The Ferrari 296 GTB has won the prestigious title of MotorTrend’s 2024 Performance Vehicle of the Year. The vehicle upholds the legacy of the evolution of power, precision and sustainability in performance vehicles. The competition revealed dynamic trends and developments for the next generation of super-powered performance vehicles, affirming the importance of the PVOTY competition.
