Mahindra XUV7OO and TVS Raider take top honours.
The verdict is out on the annual awards to select the best cars and motorcycle launched in the last year and here is how they fared
▶ Indian Car of the Year 2022 – Mahindra XUV7OO
With 101 points to its tally, the hot-selling, full-sized SUV emerged on top of the leader board. This is the first time that a Mahindra has win this coveted trophy instituted by full-time automotive journalists representing various media houses in the country.
In the second place, just 11 points behind was the Volkswagen Taigun. The compact SUV is the first Car with a VW badge on the made-for-India MQB-IN platform that Skoda developed for India and other similar global markets.
In third place was another Indian brand – Tata Punch sub-compact SUV crossover at 77 points.
The Skoda Kushaq, also based on the same platform as the Taigun, and Renault Kiger completed the top 5. Incidentally, this line-up shows how strong the SUV market has emerged even in India.
▶ Premium Car Award – Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Not surprisingly, it was the new S-Class that topped this category. Revamped with a whole new set of features and cutting edge technologies, the S-Class lived upto its expectations of being the ‘best car in the world’ with a thumping 153 points in its name. Interestingly, the German brand dominated with no less than 4 out of the 5 finalists in this category from its stable.
The AMG45S – the hottest hatchback of India – was the first runner up at 95 points followed by the understated yet tech-heavy Volvo S60 at 77 points. Interestingly, the premium category didn’t have a SUV in the top 3.
▶ Green Car Award – Audi e-tron
The amazingly well-packaged e-tron SUV was picked as the best among electric cars to come to India. The SUV has a practical real world range of over 300km and also capable of varied terrains to make it a practical alternative that sets a benchmark for other EVs to follow. Another Audi, the sporty e-tron GT was the second runner-up followed by the Jaguar i-Pace.
▶ Indian Motorcycle of the Year 2022 – TVS Raider
The motorcycle category saw equally close action as the car. TVS’s everyday 125cc bike, the Raider, was voted as the best for its unique combination of being fun-to-ride, yet oractical and affordable. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 and all-new Bajaj Pulsar 250 made up the top three.
The ICOTY and IMOTY Awards are given by a jury consisting of journalists who review cars and bikes. Each jury member is required to have atleast 5 years of vehicle testing experience to qualify. The awards were given by Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman – JK Tyre along with Yogendra Pratap (Auto Today) and Aspi Bhathena (Bike India) who were the respective chairmen of this time’s jury.
Girish Karkera