Jaguar I-Pace scoops World Car of the Year title

The all-electric Jaguar I-Pace SUV has won the coveted 2019 World Car of the Year title, and also scooped the World Car Design and World Green Car categories.

The awards were handed out at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday after voting by a panel of 86 motoring journalists from 24 countries. The I-Pace’s World Car award comes just weeks after it claimed the European Car of the Year title.

The I-Pace, which was launched in SA two months ago, edged out the Audi E-Tron and Volvo S60 for the overall World Car award. In the Design category it beat the Suzuki Jimny and Volvo XC0, while in the Green Car segment it got the nod ahead of the E-Tron.

To date over 11,000 customers in more than 60 countries worldwide have taken delivery of the I-Pace. Judges lauded it for its combination of sports car performance, zero emissions, exceptional refinement and true SUV practicality.

“It is an honour that the Jaguar I-Pace has received such an accolade from the prestigious World Car jurors,” said Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth. “We started with an ideal, to move towards our Destination Zero vision; zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion. I-Pace is our first step to achieving this, and it was conceived when EVs were little more than a niche choice.”

The I-Pace has a 90kWh lithium-ion battery and delivers a claimed range of up to 470km. It’s capable of charging from 0-80% in 72 minutes on a 60kW DC fast charger.

It zooms silently from 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 200km/h.

The I-Pace is the first vehicle ever to win three World Car categories in the 15-year history of the awards, and it has scooped over 60 international awards since it was revealed little more than a year ago.

The other category winners in this year’s World Car Awards were:

Performance Car of the Year: McLaren 720S

Luxury Car of the Year: Audi A7

Urban Car of the Year: Suzuki Jimny