NEW YORK: The graphic says it all. The first Jaguar crossover has won the 2017 World Car of the Year. It also took home the award for best design.
The announcement was made on the first media day of the New York International Auto Show today. The show opens to the public from April 14-23.
The F-PACE had competed against the VW Tiguan and Audi Q5 for the top award.
The World Car Awards jury comprises influential motoring journalists.
The F-PACE is Jaguar’s first performance SUV and has contributed to record sales growth by attracting new customers to the brand.
These awards come after a record-breaking year for Jaguar in North America, with 2016 sales up 116 percent and a breakout performance of the F-PACE, which became the brand’s top seller in its first year.
In 2017, this momentum continues with Jaguar sales up 132 percent in March for the brand’s best sales month since 2003.
Aside from the usual five categories being contested - World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car, World Car Design and World Car of the Year - a sixth category has been added for the first time, World Urban Car.
The BMW i3 (94Ah) won the first World Urban Car award.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class won in World Luxury Car award; the Porsche Boxster Cayman in the World Performance Car award; the Toyota Prius Prime in the World Green Car award; and the BMW i3 (94Ah) in the World Urban Car award.
In another first for the awards event, it served as the opener for the New York show this year.
The World Car started its 2017 awards programme at the Paris Auto Show in September 2016, followed by a short stop in Los Angeles in mid-November for a joint manufacturer test drive that allowed jury members the opportunity to evaluate two dozen eligible vehicles.
READ MORE:
Jaguar F-PACE arrives in Malaysia
CarSifu drives Jaguar F-PACE in Montenegro
