Starting with 27 new vehicles from all over the world, the list of contenders for the 2006 World Car of the Year award has now been reduced to three just as the annual awards nears its end before the New York International Auto show officially begins. The eventual winner of the said award will be declared on April 13, 2006 at the second press day of the New York Auto Show.

Making it to the final list of contenders are the BMW 3 Series, the Mazda MX-5, and the Porsche Cayman S. These top three contenders for the award were chosen, through casting secret ballots, by a jury of 46 international automotive journalists—the same group who will eventually decide which car would be declared the 2006 World Car of the Year.

Aside from the top three contenders for the prestigious World Car of the Year award, top three finalists for three other award categories have also been selected. These vehicles will compete for the World Performance Car, World Green Car, and World Car Design of the Year awards.

The three vehicles making it to the list of World Performance Car finalists are the Audi RS4, the BMW M5 and the Porsche Cayman S. For the World Green Car category, on the other hand, the finalists are the Citroen C1 1.4 Hdi, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Lexus RX 400h/Toyota Harrier Hybrid. Then, for the World Car Design of the Year, the finalists are the BMW 3 Series, the Citroen C4 and the Honda Civic/Civic Hybrid (European version).

So, can you predict this early which cars will eventually win on the various categories? Well, pick your choices because we’ll wait for the final results as it is officially announced through a press conference to be presented by The Midway Group and to be hosted by the New York International Auto Show.