Five German cars, including two Mercedes-Benz AMG models, make up half the slate of cars vying for the 2009 World Performance Car title, it was announced on Friday. The 10 finalists for the prestigious title include the Nissan GT-R, the Audi RS6 Avant and a sole domestic model — the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The winner will be announced at the 2009 New York Auto Show in April.

The 2009 World Performance finalists are: Audi RS6 Avant, BMW 135i Coupe/Cabriolet, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, /Evo MR, Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 Carrera and Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

The field will be narrowed to the top three on March 9. The overall 2009 World Car of the Year, as well as winners of the World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year, will be announced on April 9.

The World Car finalists, which were announced earlier this week, are: the Audi A4/Avant, BMW 7 Series, Citroën C5 Sedan/C5 Tourer, Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit/Jazz, Jaguar XF, Mazda Atenza/Mazda 6, Nissan GT-R, Toyota iQ and Volkswagen Golf VI.

A jury of 59 global auto journalists vote on the finalists.