It beat the Alpine A110 by the tiniest of margins
The Jaguar I-Pace won the 2019 European Car of the Year award at the Geneva Motor Show, marking the British manufacturer's first trophy for the honour. The brand's electric crossover actually tied with the Alpine A110, with each of them receiving 250 points. The Jag earned the overall victory because more voters put it at the top of their list than the Alpine. The Kia Ceed and Ford Focus took third and fourth place with 247 and 235 points, respectively.
"For our first electric vehicle to also be the first Jaguar to win European Car of the Year gives us a huge sense of pride," Jaguar CEO Ralf Speth said about the prize.
European Car of the Year might not be the I-Pace's last trophy because it's also among the finalists for World Car of the Year. The electric crossover has already lost out for the North American Utility of the Year honour. However, the EV has 54 other awards to make up for that, including UK Car Of The Year.
The I-Pace is Jaguar's entry into the burgeoning premium electric crossover segment against vehicles like the Tesla Model X and forthcoming Audi E-Tron. Power comes from two electric motors – one on each axle – making a total of 394-horsepower (294 kilowatts) and 512 pound-feet (694 Newton-meters) of torque. The EV can hit 60mph (96kph) in 4.5 seconds, and the 90-kilowatt-hour battery provides an EPA-estimated 234-mile (377-kilometer) range.
Source: European Car of the Year, Jaguar
