South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company has announced that its Ioniq 6 electric sedan has won the prestigious 2023 World Car of the Year Award in addition to two other accolades.

The all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 6 sedan won the 2023 World Car of the Year Award, the World Car Design of the Year Award and the World Electric Vehicle Award. The high-tech, eye-catching electric sedan was one of three finalists for the COTY honor. It won the World Car Design of the Year Award by beating the battery-powered BMW X1/iX1 and Kia Niro EVs.

Jaehoon Chang, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hyundai Motor Co., was quick to pronounce that the South Korean car brand was bestowed with the top title/honor for the second year in a row.

Speaking on the topic, Chang said, “We are thrilled to receive this prestigious honor two years in a row, which recognizes the tremendous talents and unrelenting efforts of everyone at Hyundai Motor Company to bring EVs like Ioniq 6 to market.”

A number of other EVs shined at the recently-held award distribution event. Lucid Air was bestowed with the World Luxury Car, which grabbed the honor by beating out the all-electric BMW 7 Series and the Genesis G90. The Kia EV6 GT grabbed the title of the World Performance Car by garnering more votes than the redesigned Nissan Z and the all-wheel-drive (AWD) Toyota GR Corolla.

While the AWD Toyota GR Corolla has 300-hp 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, the Kia EV6 produces 576 hp and has the ability to sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour (mph) in merely 3.5 seconds. The Citroen C3 won the World Urban Car Award, which outshined the VW Taigo and the ORA Funky Cat vehicles.
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The Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan, which is slated to go on sale in the U.S. market in spring this year, beat out the BMW i7 and Lucid Air for the prestigious EV award. For the design award, it had to outshine the Land Rover Range Rover and the Lucid Air sedan.

The World Car Awards normally uses a jury of one hundred international automotive journalists to vote on the contenders and select finalists and the winner. This year’s jury consisted of journalists from a total of 32 countries. This year’s winners received trophies created by famed automotive designer Ian Callum.

Lawmakers in various countries across the world continue to debate over so-called loot boxes in video games and their gambling implications. However, Australian lawmakers have made up their mind to crack down on video games that include simulated gambling.

Australian lawmakers have proposed enforcing an adults-only rating on video games that include simulated gambling in any form, including loot boxes.

According to emerging media reports, the federal government of Australia has plans to slap an R18+ rating on all video games that include simulated gambling, including the games that offer casino gaming. If such a law passes, only 18-year or older consumers would be allowed to buy such video games because they may contain content that may be offensive to certain sections of the community.

Lawmakers also want video games with loot boxes (a virtual item that can be redeemed to receive a randomized selection of further virtual items) to be rated a minimum of “M” for representing mature. The “M” rating means the video games are not recommended for any individual under 15 years old. Last year, the government had also tried to make so-called loot boxes adults-only gaming content.

If case the aforementioned changes gets implemented, gaming enthusiast under 18 will not be able to purchase simulated gambling-included video games. The new measures already gained the support of some very influential figures, including Communications Minister Michelle Rowland. It is worth-mentioning here that Rowland has been an integral member of the country’s gambling reforms team.

Rowland pointed out that the reforms are required as there is currently no standard definition of what constitutes gambling. Ongoing debates on loot boxes are enough to prove that.

When asked for a comment, Rowland stated, “A parent would expect that if their children had purchased and was playing a game and that game contained some simulated gambling, that they have a right to know about that.”

She stressed that for minors (children under 18) living at home, parents should make all the decisions on what their children purchase.

Proponents of the anti-gambling movement in Australia have long been arguing that loot boxes lead to hardcore gambling, just like the contention that consuming marijuana paves way for addiction to hard drugs.

The aforementioned suggested ratings for video games containing loot boxes and other forms of simulated gambling are currently under review by parliamentarians. For the time being, it remains unclear when or if they will approve the suggested ratings.