The Korea Automobile Journalist Association on Friday announced the 15 Car of the Year finalists, with high expectations for Hyundai Motor’s new Genesis and the best-selling Volkswagen Golf, among others.

The group of 36 media outlets, including The Korea Herald, will start voting on the best car of the year starting from Monday. The award ceremony will be held at a Seoul hotel on Jan. 21.

Hyundai Motor, which was humiliated on its home turf last year by losing the Car of the Year title for the first time, to the Toyota Camry, seems determined to regain the industry’s top honor this year.

The new Genesis, fully overhauled for the first time since its debut in 2008, boasts a 3.8-liter engine and 315 horsepower. It is also the first Hyundai sedan equipped with an all-wheel-drive system.

In a possible move to nominate the revamped sedan for the award, the carmaker moved up the launch of the car from December to November, according to industry sources.

The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, launched in Korea in July, is also a powerful candidate, as it was largely responsible for the German carmaker being designated the best-selling foreign-car brand here in November. The title had long been held by BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Thomas Kuehl, head of Volkswagen Korea since September, recently expressed his high expectations for the car, pointing out that the hatchback won the Car of the Year title in Japan this year.

German premium sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the best-selling foreign car nominated, and the steady-selling BMW 5 Series diesel are also seeking the top honor, while Japanese brands are almost out of the running this year, reflecting their sluggish sales in recent months.

Other finalists included the Lexus IS; Lincoln MKZ; Renault Samsung QM3; Mercedes-Benz S-Class; Chevrolet Trax, by GM Korea; Kia Soul; Hyundai Avante Diesel; Toyota Avalon; Nissan Juke; Korando Turismo, by Ssangyong Motors; and Korando C.

“A fierce competition is expected as there were no big differences in the number of votes they earned during the preliminary voting,” said Kang Ki-taek, the Car of the Year committee director at the association.

Together with the best car of the year, journalists will pick three winners for the subcategories of most environmentally friendly car, best performance and best design.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)