BMW’s CEO, Oliver Zipse, Named 2026 World Car Person Of The Year

BMW’s CEO, Oliver Zipse, named 2026 World Car Person Of The Year, beating two other contenders announced on February 10.

The two other contenders were David Craig, General Motors Staff Product Manager and Tisha Johnson, Head of Design at Slate Auto.

BMW’s Chief Executive, Oliver Zipse, has been named 2026 World Car Person Of The Year. Zipse, who joined BMW in 1991, has led the German premium automotive Group as Chairman of the Board of Management since August 2019.

Commenting on being named 2026 World Car Person of the Year, the 62 year old, who oversaw the launch of the BMW Neue Klasse range of vehicles, said : “I am honored to be named World Car Person of the Year 2026.”

“To me, this is much more than just an award for my tenure as BMW’s CEO : it is a recognition of our strategic course and the courage we have shown to pursue the company’s biggest project ever, the Neue Klasse. And, most importantly, it is an award for all BMW employees.”

“Therefore, I would like to thank all our associates: for their dedication, their passion, and their pioneering spirit. The Neue Klasse is a prime example of the remarkable achievements that can be made possible by this collective effort.”

Zipse emerged the winner amongst the three World Car Person of the Year contenders earlier announced on February 10. The list also included David Craig, General Motors Staff Product Manager, and Tisha Johnson, Head of Design at Slate Auto.

A jury of 98 distinguished international automotive journalists from 33 countries voted on the contenders “based on who had made the most significant contribution to the global automotive industry during the previous calendar year.”

Previous World Car Person of the Year recipients were :

1) Stella Li, Executive Vice-President of China’s BYD (2025)

2) Adrian Newey, then CTO of Red Bull Racing and soon to join Aston Martin’s Formula One team (2024)

3) SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center (2023)

4) Luc Donckerwolke, Executive Vice President for Design and Chief Creative Officer, Hyundai Motor Group (2022)

5) Akio Toyoda, President and CEO, Toyota Motor Corporation (2021)

6) Carlos Tavares, CEO of Peugeot S.A. (PSA) Group (2020)

7) Late Sergio Marchionne, CEO, FCA; Chairman, CNH Industrial; and Chairman and CEO, Ferrari (2019)

8) Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO, Volvo Car Group (2018).

• See Also : 2026 World Car Awards : BMW iX3 SUV Named “World Car Of The Year”, “World Electric Vehicle”