At a press conference presented by the MIDWAY GROUP and hosted by the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javitz Centre in Manhattan, New York, the Audi RS4 was declared the 2007 World Performance Car.

The Audi RS4 was chosen from an initial entry list of seventeen (17) contenders nominated by World Car jurors from 22 countries throughout the world.

While the winner of the overall World Car of the Year award must excel in a broad range of attributes, there is a segment of the car-buying public for whom performance - in its broadest sense - overrides all other priorities. Vehicles appealing to that clientele may be too narrowly focused to appeal to the masses, but it is an important element in the overall automotive mix. It is for that reason that we created the World Performance Car award in 2005.

Candidates for the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt Sports/Performance orientation. They must also satisfy the same availability criteria as for the overall award and may be chosen from that list of eligible vehicles.

Additional entrants may include newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of 1000 vehicles.

The jurors voted in January 2007 in order to establish a top ten shortlist. The 2007 World Performance Car was chosen from those finalists as tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

WCOTY's jurors loved the RS4, which is the virtual definition of a sports sedan. With its quattro all-wheel-drive system it puts its 420 high-tech horsepower to the ground with confidence, and it can be tossed around an obstacle course with abandon. The Audi build quality is beyond reproach and for all its high-performance capability, the RS4 can be absolutely docile when that is what is called for, making it a true dual-purpose car, suitable for everyday family use as well as track days. The very best part, however, is the wonderful roar it emits when you put your right foot down.

The top three contenders for the third annual World Performance Car in addition to the Audi RS4 were the BMW 335i and the Porsche 911 Turbo.

"We are honoured to receive the World Performance Car of the Year award for the Audi RS 4," said Johan De Nysschen, Executive Vice President of Audi of America, on accepting the award. "Over the past few years, Audi has emerged as a serious sports car brand and RS models have played an important role in this development. So we are delighted that the World Car of the Year jurors view the RS 4 as the very definition of a sports sedan."