Range Rover Evoque bags 2012 World Car Design of the Year award

The Range Rover Evoque was crowned the 2012 World Car Design of the Year at the ongoing New York International Auto Show. The baby Land Rover charmed jurors from 64 countries, including our very own Editor-in-Chief Adil Jal Darukhanawala, to take top honours over 46 formidable contenders, including the Volkswagen up! and the Citroen DS5.

An ecstatic Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer, who led the design team said: "We are honoured that the Range Rover Evoque has been named 2012 World Car Design of the Year. This prestigious accolade recognises the overwhelmingly positive response we've received to the Evoque's bold, dramatic design. It is a car that truly resonates on an emotional level".

The World Car Design of the Year award is meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries. The Evoque’s victory then comes as no surprise. The stylish compact crossover had already won a ton of awards and accolades for its bold, radical yet dropdead gorgeous looks. In fact, so enamouring is its beauty that reports came in of people booking Evoques without as much as a test drive!

So how did the Evoque grab the top spot? To begin with, only cars which had been launched and available for sale in at least one major market from January 1, 2011 to May 30th, 2012, were eligible for the awards. In the next stage, a design panel consisting of five eminent design experts from across the world was asked to review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors.

The experts had lots to say about the Evoque’s impressive design. "Land Rover once said the Range Rover Sport was born of the Range Stormer Concept which was much praised at the 2004 NAIA,” said Masatsugu Arimoto, Japan's foremost automotive design commentator. “But I think this new Evoque is the very evolution of the concept vehicle from design view point. The shoulder line is higher, the roof is lower and the overall proportion consequently becomes more distinctive and sportier than the Stormer. Taut lines and clean surfaces suggest designer's conviction to create simple yet emotional product. This must be one of the best examples of so called ‘less is more’ design norm.”

The 64 jurors then voted on the expert's recommendations in February and their ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

Previous winners of the World Car Design of the Year award were the Aston Martin Rapide in 2011, the Chevrolet Camaro in 2010, the Fiat 500 in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi TT in 2007 and the Citroen C4 in 2006.