Jaguar I-Pace wins Concept Car of the year award

The North American Concept Car of the Year Awards for 2017 have been held at the Concours d’Elegance of America, and included cars that were total concepts to those in the early stages of production. The awards were founded in 2002 and recognises concept vehicles that have made the strongest impact on automotive design, engineering and market responsiveness, judged by a team of automotive journalists across North America. Jaguar, appearing for the fourth time as a finalist, was awarded the 2017 Production Review Concept of the Year for the I-Pace concept car. The electric crossover, aimed to compete with the Tesla Model X, is a first for Jaguar, who designed an all-new platform and drivetrain during development. A European launch is scheduled for the end of the year, and the I-Pace will reach the US in 2018, with details to come for Australia and New Zealand. The Concept Car of the Year was awarded to the Aston Martin RB 001 Valkyrie Concept, which was originally codenamed Nebula. Just 150 Valkyrie hypercars will be made when the car goes into production, which is slated to begin next year. Judges couldn’t reach a consensus for the final category, and there was a tie for Concept Truck of the Year between the Genesis GV80 and the Volkswagen ID Buzz. The all-wheel drive Volkswagen electric people-mover has a range of over 400km, and the design pays homage to the original Microbus. From the four winners, the Jaguar I-Pace posted the highest overall score and was named the Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2017, the second time Jaguar has taken out the top honours at the event.