Thursday, 12 January 2012

Range Rover Evoque Named American Truck Of The Year

The Range Rover Evoque has been named the 2012 North American Truck of the Year. The announcement, which was made at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, saw the Evoque triumph over tough competition from the BMW X3 and the Honda CR-V. The judging panel of senior US automotive journalists chose the Evoque as the winner after reviewing it against its competitors in six key categories:  value for the dollar, innovation, handling, performance, safety and driver satisfaction.

"We are honored that the all-new Range Rover Evoque has been named the 2012 North American Truck of the Year, one of the most celebrated automotive awards in our industry,” said Andy Goss, President, Jaguar Land Rover North America. “This recognition is in keeping with the overwhelmingly positive global response from consumers who are selecting the vehicle for its ideal combination of luxury and capability, within a sustainable package.”

The Range Rover Evoque was reviewed by a coalition of 50 automotive journalists, from the United States and Canada, representing all media platforms. Every year, the jurors of the North American Truck of the Year convene to determine worthy vehicle contenders and limit the eligible vehicles to approximately 10 cars and 10 trucks. Based on a points system, the jurors rate the vehicles and send their ballots to Deloitte & Touche’s office in Detroit where the selection process is narrowed down to the three cars and three trucks with the most points. Once the three finalists are announced, the jurors vote again on the finalists.

The North American Truck of the Year honor is the latest global accolade that the Range Rover Evoque has received since its launch in September 2011. It is the first NAToTY title for Land Rover although the brand has been shortlisted three times. Additionally, in North America, the car has been named Motor Trend’s 2012 Sport/Utility of the Year, Autoweek's "Best of Best" Truck, Road & Travel's International Truck of the Year, Decisive Magazine’s Urban Truck of the Year, Automobile Magazine’s 2012 All-Star Award and Best Luxury Compact Vehicle from Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) and Bloomberg News’ Crossover Car of the Year.

In the UK, the Range Rover Evoque has been named Car of the Year by several titles including Auto Express, Top Gear and The Sun. Additionally, the UK's leading consumer publication, Which? recently chose the Evoque as one of the best vehicles to go on sale in 2011.

Frank Klaas, Global Head of Communications for Jaguar Land Rover, said: "It is fantastic news that we have been awarded North American Truck of the Year, which is further recognition for the hard work of both the team in the market and also our employees based at our design, engineering and manufacturing sites in the UK. Also today, the European Car of the Year jury has announced that the Range Rover Evoque is one of seven cars shortlisted for this highly prestigious European award. The entire Evoque team has their fingers crossed ahead of the final announcement at the Geneva Motor Show in March."