It’s that time of the year when experts from India’s top automobile publications come together and vote for the best machines in India. This time, too, there were plenty of good contenders battling for the top spot. The 15th Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) award was won by TVS Raider. In the four-wheelers category, it was the Mahindra XUV700 that won the 17th Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) award. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class bagged top honours for the fourth edition of Premium Car of the Year; while the second edition of the Green Car Award was won by the Audi e-tron.
The jury members judged all of the finalists for the 2022 IMOTY and ICOTY on a variety of criteria including price, fuel efficiency, styling, comfort, safety, performance, practicality, technical innovation, build quality, value-for-money and suitability for Indian driving/riding conditions. All premium and luxury vehicles costing more than Rs 40 lakh were considered for the Premium Car of the Year award. These include both domestic and imported models.
This time, in the two-wheel category, the TVS Raider 125 competed against the likes of the Bajaj Pulsar NS 125, Bajaj Pulsar F250, Bajaj Pulsar N250, Benelli TRK 502, Benelli 502C, Honda CB200X, Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Yamaha FZ-X. In the last round, only nine bikes could make it. In the end, the TVS Raider 125 stole the IMOTY crown away.
It wasn’t an easy win for the Mahindra XUV700 as it faced fierce competition from the Citroën C5 Aircross, Force Gurkha, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, MG Astor, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Skoda Kushaq, Skoda Octavia, Tata Punch and VW Taigun. In the final round, the Mahindra XUV700 with 101 points took home the coveted ICOTY award; the Volkswagen Taigun bagged second place, and the Tata Punch secured the third spot.
In the Premium Car of the Year category, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class secured the top spot, the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S took second, and the Volvo S60 took third. As for the Green Car of the Year category, the Audi e-tron and RS e-tron GT took first and second respectively, while the Jaguar I-Pace took third.
JK Tyre has sponsored ICOTY and IMOTY awards ever since its inception. Back in 2005, the ICOTY award was introduced and two years later the IMOTY award also came into being. We’re eagerly waiting for what lies ahead!
