The F-Pace, Jaguar's first-ever SUV, wins both the prestigious WCOTY as well as the World Car Design of the Year award.
12 Apr 2017 | 3231 Views | By Autocar Pro News Desk
The Jaguar F-Pace has won the 2017 World Car Design of the Year award as well as the overall 2017 World Car of the Year. The winner was announced during a press conference today hosted by the New York International Auto Show.
Commenting on the prestigious awards, Dr Ralf ...
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The Jaguar F-Pace has won the 2017 World Car Design of the Year award as well as the overall 2017 World Car of the Year. The winner was announced during a press conference today hosted by the New York International Auto Show.
Commenting on the prestigious awards, Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover, said: "The F‐Pace was designed and engineered as a performance SUV with exceptional dynamics, everyday usability and bold design. Winning these two awards endorses the talent and great work of our teams that have delivered the world’s most practical sports car and Jaguar's fastest selling vehicle.”
Ian Callum, director of design, Jaguar said: “The F-Pace is our first ever SUV but it is clearly recognisable as a Jaguar and for it to win the 2017 World Car of the Year trophy vindicates our decision to bring our unique design principles and dynamic qualities to a new sector of the market.”
The Jaguar F‐Pace was chosen from an initial entry list of 23 vehicles from all over the world, then a shortlist of 10, then three finalists as announced in Geneva last month: the Audi Q5, the Jaguar F‐Pace and the Volkswagen Tiguan.
Interestingly, all the finalists were SUVs, which is an indication of the growing number of such vehicles and the importance manufacturers are giving them thanks to the increasing market demand the world over.
In 2016, the model’s first year on sale, 122,460 F-Paces were sold. The model helped JLR sales surpass the half-a-million mark, representing a 13% growth on the year before.
To be eligible for the overall World Car award, the candidates must become available for sale on at least two continents during the period beginning January 1, 2016 and ending May 31, 2017. This year, vehicles were selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of 75 top‐level automotive journalists from 23 countries around the world. The international accounting firm KPMG tabulates the jurors’ ballots.
Previous World Car of the Year winners have been the Mazda MX‐5 (2016), Mercedes‐Benz C‐Class (2015), the Audi A3 (2014), the Volkswagen Golf (2013), the Volkswagen Up! (2012), the Nissan Leaf (2011), the Volkswagen Polo (2010, the Volkswagen Golf (2009), the Mazda2 / Mazda Demio (2008), the Lexus LS460 (2007), the BMW 3‐Series (2006), and the Audi A6 (2005).
The 2017 World Car awards contest began in Paris on September 29, was followed by test‐drives in Los Angeles in November, continued in Geneva with the Top Three in the World announcement, and finally ended today with the declaration of the winners in six categories at the New York International Auto Show.
The other winners
2017 World Luxury Car – Mercedes-Benz E-Class
2017 World Performance Car – Porsche Boxster Cayman
2017 World Green Car – Toyota Prius Prime
2017 World Urban Car – BMW i3 (94Ah)
In other World Car of the Year category awards announced today, the Mercedes-Benz E-class beat the BMW 5-Series and the Volvo S90 / V90 to win the 2017 World Luxury Car.
The Porsche Boxster/Cayman won the World Performance Car 2017 award, beating the Audi R8 Spyder and the McLaren 570S.
The Toyota Prius Prime bagged the World Green Car award, ahead of the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla Model X. The BMW i3 (94Ah) took home the World Urban Car award beating the Citroën C3 and the Suzuki Ignis.