Volvo’s XC60 has won the World Car of the Year award at the ongoing New York motor show. This is the first time that Volvo has won this award. The premium luxury SUV had also won the North American Utility of the Year Award earlier this year, showcasing that Chinese owner Geely's investment has paid off when it acquired the Swedish brand in 2010..

Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars, said at the occasion, “I am pleased to see our company’s product investments paying off. We are up against some tough competition, but this award for the XC60 show that Volvo has the right combination of design, connectivity and safety that appeals to customers across the world.”

While the XC60 in international markets is sold with a range of petrol and diesel engines, including a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, the SUV is sold in India at Rs 55.90 lakh (ex-showroom, India) in a single Inscription trim. It is powered by a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre diesel engine that produces 235hp and 480Nm of peak torque, and is mated to an eight-speed automatic that powers all-four-wheels.

As per our review, the XC60 boasts air-suspension, a segment-first massage function for the front seats, and a variety of radar-based features such as blind spot assist, lane-keeping aid, autonomous braking, and adaptive cruise control.

Other winners awarded in New York were

• Nissan Leaf: World Green car of the year
• Audi A8: World Luxury car of the year
• Range Rover Velar: World Car design award 
• BMW M5: World Performance car of the year
• Volkswagen Polo: World Urban car of the year

“The New York International Auto Show is proud of the tradition it has built with the World Car Awards to recognise the 'best of the best' in the auto industry," said John LaSorsa, chairman of the New York motor show. "Over the past 12 years, this awards programme [WCOTY] has grown to become one of the most coveted honours for the world's auto makers."

The previous year’s overall winner was the Jaguar F-Pace SUV, while the Mazda MX-5 won the year before that.

Also see:

2018 Audi Q5 vs Lexus NX300h vs Volvo XC60 comparison

2018 Volvo XC60 review, road test