Does the Range Rover 'Evoque' your inner passion?

Forgive the pun, we couldn't resist. But seriously, does it? It seems the sky is the limit for this gorgeous creation from the Land Rover stable with the Evoque being crowned as the World Design Car of the Year 2012 at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). The total award tally thus far for the Evoque: over a 100. That's no laughing matter. Just look at it! Wow. First the Range Rover Sport and now this... Land Rover is definitely on a roll. Oh and apparently someone named Victoria Beckham had a hand in the interior design. We're not sure if that is true, but anything is possible these days!

In total, 46 vehicles were eligible this year, each of which were reviewed by a panel of five world-class designers. The panel included Masatsuga Arimoto, automotive design commentator; Silvia Baruffaldi, Managing Editor of Auto & Design magazine; Gernot Bracht, former designer at Renault; Sam Livingstone, Director of Car Design Research; and Tom Matano, Executive Director at the School of Industrial Design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. 

After the designers had given their recommendations, 64 jurors voted in February to select the winners. The Range Rover Evoque was up against some solid competition, particularly with the new Hyundai Veloster. The Veloster has received a great deal of attention this year for its fresh look, which builds on Hyundai’s (and Kia’s) recent crop of well-received cars. Along with the Veloster, the Volkswagen Up!, Citroën DS5, and the Porsche 911 rounded out the finalists for the World Car Design award. 

Now get this: previous winners of the World Car Design of the Year award include 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 Citroën C4 in 2006. That is a cool bunch for the Evoque to hang out with. 

Bravo Land Rover, Bravo. We can't wait to get our hands on one and put it through its paces.

For the folks in India, the good news is that the Evoque is already on sale! The price you ask? Rs. 45,00,000 (~$90,000 for the diesel version) to Rs. 60,00,000 (~$120,000 for the petrol version). Yes. Big money. And that doesn't include your taxes, registration fees etc. Safe to say it will be purchased by a very niche crowd. 

Check out the specs on Land Rover India's site.