At a ceremony held at the ongoing New York Motor Show, Jaguar’s F-Pace was crowned the 2017 World Car of the Year. Apart from the top honour, the F-Pace was also awarded the World Car Design of the Year. The F-Pace beat 23 other new cars, including the two other finalists, the second-generation Q5 and Volkswagen Tiguan. What’s interesting to note is that all finalists this year were SUVs, which is an indication of their growing popularity.
The World Car of the Year was chosen by a jury consisting of 75 automobile journalists from 23 countries around the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work.
Accepting the award, Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover, said, "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.”
Previous winners include 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).