World Cup Of Cars

Germany

The Germans need no introduction, neither to their glittering football history nor their prestige in motoring. Famous for luxury, high performance motoring brands and popular and efficient practical hatchbacks and saloons. But can German power and efficiency reign supreme?

Key Players

Germany boasts strength in depth that any motoring country would envy. Featuring the luxury powerhouse duo of Mercedes Benz and BMW, alongside Audi and the ever-reliable Volkswagen, Germany will also be relying upon the ferocious pace of Porsche to push them to victory.

Prediction

It’s difficult to ignore the famed quality of German cars, a reputation bolstered by their staggering 35 Car of the Year awards – far more than any other nation. Will the dominant global market shares and manufacturing might of Japan and the United States be enough to topple them?

Predicted finish: FINALISTS?

France

Often (perhaps unfairly) overlooked in favour of their German and Italian neighbours, French motoring has a long and successful history. Can they follow in the footsteps of their footballers in the 1998 World Cup and rise to the top of the mountain?

Key Players

The spine of French motoring is the efficient, affordable and versatile Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault, each having proven themselves to excel in the World Rally Championship, Touring Cars and Formula 1 respectively.

Let’s not forget their not-so-secret weapon: Bugatti, who are manufacturers of one of the fastest road cars in the world: the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which can reach speeds of 267mph. Gareth Bale, eat your heart out.

Prediction

Can the mythical speed of Bugatti give the French the firepower they need to topple the best in the world? We’re not sure, but it will be close!

Predicted finish: QUARTER FINALISTS

United Kingdom

Few countries have a motoring history as rich as the United Kingdom. Some would argue the glory days for British motoring (and football for that matter) are long behind them. Do the British still have true winners among their ranks?

Key Players

Like the Germans, the UK has a wealth of options, both for practical cars like Vauxhall and high-performance motors like Jaguar, Lotus and Aston Martin. The Brits can also boast the majestic coupling of Bentley and Rolls-Royce. The ever-dependable muscle of Land Rover completes an impressive line-up for Her Majesty, but will it be enough?

Prediction

The history is there; so is the pedigree. But is the UK living on past glories? Despite 6 Car of the Year awards, the UK is a much smaller player on the global manufacturing stage than it used to be. We predict a strong showing for the UK, followed by an inevitable loss to the Germans on penalties.

Predicted finish: SEMI-FINALISTS

Italy

The Italians have long been the frontrunners in the world of incredibly designed sports cars, but they are no slouches in the practical side of motoring either, with a long line of highly successful hatchbacks to choose from.

Key Players

With legendary names like Ferrari and Lamborghini, along with Maserati and Pagani (makers of the much celebrated Zonda and Huayra models), Italy has arguably the strongest high-performance line up in the world. With support from Fiat and Alfa Romeo, it’s hard not to be excited by Italy’s prospects.

Prediction

We can’t see many countries toppling Italy’s fabled supercars, but their weaknesses in global manufacturing and a relative lack of awards could see them unstuck.

Predicted finish: SEMI-FINALISTS

Japan

Japan is one of the biggest and most successful car manufacturing countries in the world, with an almost embarrassing wealth of popular options across all vehicle types and styles. Does Japan even have a weakness?

Key Players

To appreciate the strength in depth of Japanese motoring, all we have to do is list some of the cars they produce: Toyota, Subaru, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and more. Japan have strength and popularity in almost every area, but do they lack a true powerhouse to match the Ferraris of Italy or the Porsches of Germany? 

Prediction

In terms of popularity, reliability and recognised quality, Japanese cars are very hard to beat. Perhaps their weakness lies in a lack of pace, with the Nissan GT-R Nismo sitting at the foot of the top-speed rankings.

Predicted finish: FINALISTS

United States of America

Okay, so the USA didn’t qualify for the football World Cup this time round, but this is our World Cup of Cars, and we simply can’t ignore the Americans in motoring terms.

Key Players

Ford leads the American line, perhaps the most well-known car brand in the Western world. The USA is also home to a number of strong brands like Dodge, Chevrolet and Cadillac. Finally, the Americans also have Tesla on their side, who some describe as the true future of motoring.

Prediction

Despite the incredible popularity and varied options offered by Ford, and an enormous global market share in manufacturing, question marks remain over the international performance and appeal of the USA’s supporting line-up. American cars reign supreme in the States, but can they do it outside of America?

Predicted finish: QUARTER FINALISTS

South Korea

Often overlooked in favour of neighbouring Japan, South Korea shouldn’t be underestimated in the World Cup of Cars thanks to their strong line-up of reasonably priced, reliable every day vehicles.

Key Players

South Korea is home to Hyundai and Kia, two highly regarded brands with a reputation for practicality and economy. The South Korean line up also includes Daewoo and the lesser known Oullim Spirra range of high performance supercars.

Prediction

The South Korean line up certainly has its strengths, but they will have a mountain to climb to get past the huge range of Japanese and German competitors. Expect a gutsy performance nonetheless.

Predicted finish: QUARTER FINALISTS

Sweden

Perhaps the dark horses in the World Cup of Cars, Swedish cars are widely regarded as some of the safest and most reliable money can buy. This reputation has earned them a loyal international following.

Key Players

The sturdiness and consistency of Volvo gives Sweden a remarkably solid backbone, while Saab are certainly no pushovers. Sweden can also boast a secret weapon in Koenigsegg, whose remarkable pace revealed itself on the Top Gear test track. 

Prediction

Sweden will be a frightening opponent for any competitor in the World Cup of Cars thanks to the staggering 278MPH of the Koenigsegg Agera RS; however, their weakness may well lay in their heavy dependence on a handful of big names.

Predicted finish: QUARTER FINALISTS