I don’t know how much “persuasion” sterile corporate monolith Stellantis directed towards the judging panel at this year’s international car of the year award. Nor can I explain how the Jeep Avenger EV won. But it seems a bit odd, odd in so far odd can be considered odd. You see, the Jeep brand is owned by sterile corporate monolith Stellantis. The all-electric Jeep Avenger was styled in Europe, made in Europe, and will be sold almost exclusively in Europe. It will not be offered for sale in its ancestral homeland of America. The Jeep Avenger is as about American as the cinematic realism in the Marvel Avengers movie franchise.

Underneath the all-electric “car of the year” Jeep Avenger EV lies the Peugeot e-2008. Yes, my friends, the Jeep Avenger is merely a restyled Peugeot. It looks nice, don’t get me wrong. If you don’t know permanently pandemic-stricken Peugeot is part of the sterile corporate monolith Stellantis brotherhood.

Now, here’s the thing, the all-electric Peugeot e-2008 hasn’t received good reviews. An Autocar review even said, “I can’t see this car taking too many people out of Kia and Hyundai EVs”.

Wait… what?

How can the Jeep Avenger win the car of the year award for 2023 when a representative on the judging panel’s own publication previously stated that the underlying technology/chassis isn’t as good as a Kia or Hyundai EV? And from what I do know motoring journalists tend to groupthink, and share the same opinions, possibly due to subconscious peer pressure.

It doesn’t make any sense. It all sounds a bit Mike Arnold. Is the Jeep Avenger EV better than a Peugeot e-2008 EV? How did the Jeep Avenger EV suddenly become a better product than the Peugeot e-2008 despite sharing the same technology? No car company can make such a technological quantum shift from… e-2208 meh! to Jeep Avenger EV CAR OF THE YEAR!

That’s why I am going to gaslight you and develop a conspiratorial narrative. I believe the car of the year award has become a rigged system, where awards are bought and sold to the highest bidder. These acclaimed award shows have become marketing and branding exercises. They are no longer about the best car, otherwise, the Tesla Model Y should have won.

I don’t have any evidence to support my conspiracy that sterile corporate monolith Stellantis “persuaded” the judging panel in any way. But something doesn’t feel right here. How can a car that is yet to enter the retail market be considered a car of the year? Are you really going to take the word of a possibly compromised judging panel many of whom have tested “boosted” demonstrators, but not retail-ready versions?

Don’t trust sterile corporate monolith Stellantis, don’t trust the words of journalists, don’t trust conspiracy theorists Daily Car Blog and always question like a good little conspiracy theorist should. Oh, and don’t buy the Jeep Avenger EV because at least there is evidence, from their own written words, that the Jeep Avenger EV will be no better than a Peugeot e-2008 EV.

And for the reasons outlined above, that is why the Jeep Car of the Year 2023 Avenger is the worst car of the week.