One of the key events at the New York International Auto Show every year is the hand-out of the World Car Awards. The only one of it's kind in the industry, the World Car Awards brings together a jury panel comprising the best of automotive journalists and experts from diverse geographic locations. Naturally, these awards command a lot of respect and are amongst the most-coveted in the automotive industry.
Launched in 2004 and handed out since 2005, the World Car Awards aims to reward and recognize the best in the industry on a global scale and is not confined to a publication, country or continent.
The 2017 titles and the award-winners were announced last week.
2017 World Car of the Year
From an initial list of 23 vehicles from all over the world, ten were shortlisted before three finalists were announced at Geneva earlier this year. The top three were the Audi Q5, the Jaguar F-Pace and the Volkswagen Tiguan. With sales of SUVs and crossovers soaring around the world, the three finalists sort of vindicate the shift that's taking place in the industry. 75 journalists from 23 countries around the world evaluated each of the contenders and it was the Jaguar that came out on top.
Ever since it debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, the F-Pace, the first-ever SUV from the British luxury brand, has been winning friends and fans worldwide and the World Car of the Year title is yet another feather in it's cap. It is well-styled, is lavishly appointed, gets some clever features and need not be restricted on the road with the standard All Wheel Drive system and Adaptive Surface Response technology, virtues that seem to have impressed the jurors.
2017 World Car of the Year - Jaguar F-Pace
Previous Winners:
- 2016 – Mazda MX-5
- 2015 – Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- 2014 – Audi A3
- 2013 – Volkswagen Golf
- 2012 – Volkswagen Up!
2017 World Luxury Car
To honour higher-priced, limited-selling, premium cars worldwide, the World Luxury Car title was carved out as a separate award in 2014. Mercedes-Benz walked away with it twice since then while the BMW 7-Series won the accolade last year.
Mercedes-Benz returned to winning ways in 2017, with it's bread-and-butter E-Class claiming the top spot from an initial entry list of nine luxury cars from all over the world. The new E-Class has been receiving rave reviews and is expected to consolidate Mercedes-Benz's dominance in executive sedans. Another aspect that would make this victory sweeter for the folks at Stuttgart is the presence of arch-rival BMW's 5-Series as one of the finalists. Volvo's S90/V90 was the other finalist in fray for the title.
2017 World Luxury Car - Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Previous Winners:
- 2016 – BMW 7-Series
- 2015 – Mercedes-Benz S Coupe
- 2014 – Mercedes-Benz S-Class
2017 World Performance Car
The Porsche 718 twins, the Cayman and the Boxster, emerged victorious in the World Performance Car shoot-out.
To be eligible for this award, a vehicle must exhibit specific and overt sports/performance orientation, should be available for sale in atleast two continents and have an annual production run exceeding 500 vehicles. From an initial list of seven cars that met the criteria, three finalists - Audi R8 Spyder, McLaren 570S and Porsche 718 Cayman/Boxster, were announced. In the end, it was Porsche that won the hearts of the jurors. Remarkably, this is Porsche's fifth World Performance Car title with the German brand already being a recipient of the award in 2006, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
2017 World Performance Car - Porsche 718 Cayman/Boxster
Previous Winners:
- 2016 – Audi R8
- 2015 – Mercedes-AMG GT
- 2014 – Porsche 911 GT3
- 2013 – Porsche Boxster / Cayman
- 2012 – Porsche 911
2017 World Green Car
For the second straight year, Toyota walked away with the honours in this crucial 'green car' category. This time, it was the Prius Prime that tasted success. Crucially, the Toyota had to contend with the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla Model X, mighty contenders any which way you look at them. These three cars were the chosen finalists from an initial entry list of 12 vehicles that met the eligibility criteria.
2017 World Green Car - Toyota Prius Prime
Previous Winners:
- 2016 – Toyota Mirai
- 2015 – BMW i8
- 2014 – BMW i3
- 2013 – Tesla Model S
- 2012 – Mercedes-Benz S250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY
2017 World Urban Car
A new title introduced for this year, the World Urban Car aims to identify and crown the best car to tackle the urban jungle that's getting crowded with each passing year.
Commenting on the new title, World Car vice‐chairman, Mike Rutherford, commented, "It's an award whose time has come. Everyday cars in many ‐ perhaps most ‐ parts of the world will have to become smaller if road and parking space is to be found for them in increasingly packed towns and cities whose populations are swelling annually. This year's winner in our inaugural World Urban Car category proves that these small vehicles don't have to be cheap, undesirable and unpleasant to drive. Quite the opposite. It is among the best value‐for‐money products on the market".
And the car that was found worthy of all that praise is BMW's brilliant i3 (94 Ah). From an initial list of seven contenders, three finalists including the Citroen C3 and the Suzuki Ignis were chosen before deciding on the winner.
2017 World Urban Car - BMW i3 (94 Ah)
2017 World Car Design of the Year
With a set of eligibility criteria that's like no other, the World Car Design of the Year aims to recognize vehicles that pushes the established boundaries in their design and styling. A 6-member design panel were first asked to review the candidates and establish a short-list of recommendation for the jurors.
In the end, out of the three finalists that included the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet and the Toyota C-HR, the Jaguar F-Pace walked away with the title, it's second of the year. With bold and sexy styling that looked every bit a Jaguar, we commented that the F-Pace was amongst the most beautiful crossovers/SUVs we have seen and it seems the design experts and jurors had similar opinion. With the F-Type already winning the title in 2013, F-Pace's victory is the second time a Jaguar is crowned the World Car Design of the Year.
2017 World Car Design of the Year - Jaguar F-Pace
Previous Winners:
- 2016 – Mazda MX-5
- 2015 – Citroen C4 Cactus
- 2014 – BMW i3
- 2013 – Jaguar F-Type
- 2012 – Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
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