Jaguar I-Pace is the GERMAN Car of the Year

The Jaguar I-Pace – Jaguar’s headline grabbing electric crossover – has been declared the 2018 German Car of the Year.

Jaguar Land Rover may have trouble coming out of their ears at the moment, but one shining beacon – certainly in terms of plaudits and positive headlines – is the electric Jaguar I-Pace.

Jaguar scored a big goal by delivering the I-Pace to market ahead of the competition from other proper premium car makers – Audi with the e-tron and Mercedes with the EQC – and now it’s scored a direct hit by being voted the German Car of the Year.

The I-Pace garnered the most votes from the panel of 12 journalists who had the opportunity to drive the 59 cars on the initial list of contenders, with the I-Pace making it in to the top five (along with the Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg, Peugeot 508 and Hyundai Nexo) and then seeing off the competition.

Jens Meiners, German COTY Jury member, said:

The Jaguar I-PACE is not only the first premium electric vehicle from an established manufacturer, it also makes uncompromising use of the advantages of an electrified vehicle architecture. Its performance is impressive, and its design and practicality stand out, which is why the I-PACE ultimately was the winner against strong competition.

It’s good news for Jaguar in a sea of woe, although the I-Pace alone isn’t going to make a huge difference to JLR’s bottom line. With just over 1,000 delivered so far, it’s a minuscule part of JLR’s sales, although it could be a firm indicator of where Jaguar is heading in the future. 

And that looks likely to be some sort of British take on Tesla.