Jaguar F-Pace Is The First SUV To Win World Car Of The Year

Winners of the 2017 World Car of the Year awards were announced today at the New York Auto Show. Following months of deliberation by a panel of 75 international automotive journalists that began back in September at the Paris Motor Show, the underdog Jaguar F-Pace took home the prestigious award, making it the first SUV to ever do so.

Beating out more than 20 well worthy contenders from around the world – including a barrage of cars from the VW Group – the F-Pace outpaced the Audi Q5 and VW Tiguan in the last round of voting. Not only did it take home the 2017 World Car of the Year, but it also took home the 2017 World Car Design of the Year, beating the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet, and the new Toyota C-HR.

"The F‐PACE was designed and engineered as a performance SUV with exceptional dynamics, everyday usability and bold design," said Dr Ralf Speth, CEO Jaguar Land Rover. "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."

Other winners for 2017 include the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which took home the 2017 World Luxury Car award, the Porsche Boxster/Cayman, which took home the World Performance Car Award, the Toyota Prius Prime, which took home the World Green Car award, and the BMW i3, which took home the World Urban Car award.

The F-Pace follows the Mazda Miata and Mercedes C-Class, which took home the awards in 2016 and 2015, respectively. This year marks the 11th anniversary between the World Car and the New York Auto Show.