The Volkswagen Up! city car is declared the 2012 World Car of the Year at the 2012 New York Auto Show Thursday morning.

The top award is decided by a panel of over 60 journalists-juries who represents Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and other parts of the world.

35 cars have competed over merits, value, emotional appeal as well as environmental impact to win this most prestigious award. The Up! was finally chosen to take the honor, beating the two other finalists, the BMW 3- Series and the Porsche 911.

“The Up! has altered what we have come to expect from the city car segment,” said one of the World Car Awards juror.

“Of note are the responsive steering, sophisticated suspension setup, new efficient engines and the quality of materials and finish.”

The Up! was launched in Europe in December last year and had a big success on sales. It also received several awards such as “What Car?: Car of the Year", "City Car 2012", the "Safety Award” from British magazine, and 2011 Goldene Lenkrad”.

“[2012 World Car of the Year award] shows once again that in the Up!, our designers and engineers have created a vehicle that has been thought through in minute detail. A vehicle that sets standards in its class for efficient use of space, safety, motoring fun and environmental compatibility," told Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG.

Same day, Porsche 911 received “World Performance Car of the Year”, the Mercedes S 250 CDI Blue Efficiency received “World Green Car of the Year”, and the Land Rover Evoque received “World Design Car of the Year” at the 2012 New York Auto Show.

See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?