Korean journalists covering the auto industry on Tuesday chose Genesis G90 as the car of the year, saying the vehicle pioneers a new direction for luxury sedans.

The fully revamped G90 launched in January scored 84.07 out of 100 for its sophisticated designs as well as its advanced driver-assistance technologies that add value to the driving experience, according to the Korea Automobile Journalists Association.

The G90 was among 21 vehicles competing for the annual event that assessed 10 features including design, price, driving experience, speed performance, safety and maintenance.

Mercedes-Benz’s electric vehicle, the New EQS, also won this year’s imported car category in recognition of innovative technology features such as the MBUX infotainment system equipped with advanced artificial intelligence, and modular architecture.

Another Genesis vehicle, the GV60, won both the innovation award and the SUV of the year title. The sport utility vehicle’s technology that locks and unlocks the door through face recognition was acclaimed for adding innovative features to auto technology.

The Audi RS e-tron GT, meanwhile, bagged this year’s design and performance awards with Kia’s EV6 winning the green car category for using eco-friendly materials as well as utilizing the world’s first multicharging system capable of fast charging at 800 V.

The association also named SsangYong Motor’s New Rexton Sports Khan the utility car of the year for its excellence in off-road performance due to its four-wheel driving system.

Reflecting the auto market trend of sustainability, eight out of 21 cars were green cars.

“The electric models are becoming so popular that six out of eight award-winning vehicles are electric vehicles. The speed of their penetration into the market is also fast raising expectation from us to become game changers in next year’s evaluation,” said an official from the KAJA.