World Car of the Year

Jaguar F-Pace takes top honours, and wins design of the year as well

THE WORLD CAR OF THE Year 2017 winners were announced at the New York Motor Show, with the Jaguar F-Pace taking top honours. Markets all over the globe have been lapping up SUVs, and manufacturers with no legacy in that segment have been rolling out product after product owing to the high volumes they can move. The F-Pace is the first time Jaguar is having a crack at the segment and they seem to have done a pretty fine job of it, considering it not only walked out with the World Car of the Year award but also bagged the World Car Design of the Year award.

The process for selecting the WCOTY started in September 2016 – the Jaguar F-Pace was one of the 23 nominees shortlisted for the award. Following the announcement of the nominees, test drives were held in Los Angeles in November after which three finalists in thier respective categories were announced in Geneva. The entire process drew to a close when the winners were announced in New York last month.

The F-Pace claimed the prestigious WCOTY prize, and beat cars like the Audi Q5 and the Volkswagen Tiguan to win. 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.”

Interestingly, the Suzuki Ignis was amongst the finalists in the World Urban Car category. The Baleno was a nominee in that category as well, but it was the Ignis that managed to finish a strong third, behind the BMW i3 and Citroen C3.

Other winners of the 13th edition of the World Car of the Year awards include the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class for the World Luxury Car of the Year, the Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster twins for the World Performance Car of the Year and the Toyota Prius Prime (which is the plugin hybrid version of the Prius) for the World Green Car. The winners were selected by an experienced panel of 75 jurors from 24 countries — all automotive journalists from Asia, Europe and North America, of which evo India editor Sirish Chandran is a member.

The F-Pace was one of the 23 nominees shortlisted for the award