Mercedes-Benz sweeps 2015 World Car Awards

Mercedes-Benz walked away with three World Car Awards at the New York Auto Show, including the 2015 World Car of the Year.

The Mercedes C-class was awarded the 'World Car of the Year' award, beating the Ford Mustang and the Volkswagen Passat, which incidentally won the '2015 European Car of the Year' award in the final round. Jurors said that the new C-class' "all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains deliver levels of refinement, luxury, safety, and ride (and) handling that challenge (the) best-in-class."

Mercedes-Benz also won the 'World Luxury Car' award, with the S-class Coupe winning against the likes of the BMW i8 and Range Rover Autobiography Black LWB, in a group of 12 cars. Speaking about the new S-class Coupe, the jury said that Mercedes' design and technology formed a "marriage that is more happy than ever", and that there was "no better car to prove it than this stunningly beautiful derivative of the S-class, available with powerful, turbocharged V-8 and V-12 engines".

In the performance category, the Mercedes-Benz AMG-GT won the 'World Performance Car of the Year' award, beating the likes of the BMW M4 coupe and Jaguar F-Type R coupe in the final round. Talking about the car, the jurors said that the AMG-GT's "on-road presence alone is almost enough to qualify it as a ‘Top 3’ finalist. But in addition to its ruggedly handsome looks, it has an impressive spec sheet comprising biturbo 4.0-litre V8 engine, seven speed dual-clutch transmission, 456bhp (minimum)...and much, much more."

For the 'World Green Car of the Year' award, the BMW i8 beat its competitors, making it the company's second 'World Green Car of the Year' award in as many years. The i8 went up against eight competitors that included the Mercedes S 500 plug-in hybrid and VW Golf GTE.

The last of the five awards, the 'World Car Design of the Year' was bagged by the Citroen C4 Cactus, making it the company's sixth top-three finish in the design category since the inception of the award. The C4 Cactus went up against the likes of the Mercedes C-class and Volvo's new XC90 in the final round.