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The coveted World Car of the Year Award has been won by the Jaguar F-Pace. The award ceremony took place at the 2017 New York International Auto Show.

The F-Pace, Jaguar’s first ever SUV, is positioned in a highly competitive segment, populated with rivals such as the VW Tiguan and the Audi Q5 (both shortlisted for the prize) both of which have had years more development than the F-Pace.

However, some point to the fact that Land Rover – arguably the most experienced off-road car manufacturer in the world – is owned by the same parent company as Jaguar, namely Tata.

As well as bagging the top award, the F-Pace also won the top prize in the design category.

"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," said Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover.

However, Jaguar's win was one of few upsets this year. In the luxury car category it was business as usual, with Mercedes picking up the top award with its E-Class. The Volvo S90 and the BMW 5-Series were runners up.

This year's New York Auto Show also saw the introduction of a new sub-category – World Urban Car. This was won by the plug-in electric BMW i3, beating stiff competition from the Suzuki Ignia and the Citroen C3.

And for the fifth time in 13 years Porsche won the World Performance Car of the Year with its 718 Cayman. The victory was all the more impressive since Porsche was up against the McLaren 570S and the Audi R8 Spyder.