Business Line reported that the Renault Duster and the KTM Duke 200 have been selected as the Indian Car of the Year 2013 and the Indian Motorcycle of the Year 2013, respectively.
Mr Raghupati Singhania CMD of JK Tyre and Industries, gave away the awards at a ceremony here on Thursday. It was a tough call for the jury members of the Indian Car of the Year and the Indian Motorcycle of the Year to choose the ones that best represent the tag Made in India and made for India.
After an independent poll of established motoring journalists from 8 member publications including the best car and bike of the next year were chosen. Both the awards have been issued annually for the past five years.
To qualify, the cars and bikes need to be new models and have to be manufactured in India or involve significant local assembly. Completely built units did not qualify. They also have to be vehicles that have been launched in the Indian market and are available in showrooms before November 30th of the year of assessment. The award itself is issued for the next year.
The selection of the winner is broadly based on parameters such as price, fuel efficiency, styling, comfort, safety, performance, practicality and technical innovation, value for money and suitability for Indian conditions.
JK Tyres, which has been a supporter of the ICOTY and IMOTY, was the sponsor of the awards ceremony in Mumbai.
ICOTY 2013
Over 20 cars launched this year qualified for the 2013 awards. The eleven finalists selected by the jury were: Chevrolet Sail UV-A, Hyundai Elantra, Mahindra Quanto, Maruti-Suzuki Alto 800, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Maruti-Suzuki Swift DZire, Nissan Evalia, Renault Duster, Renault Pulse, Renault Scala and TATA Safari Storme.
The Renault Duster won the award for its unique position as one of the first affordable compact crossovers. Its promise of reliability, efficiency, ride quality and handling gives it a special appeal.
The Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga came second in the rankings and the new Hyundai Elantra was the third in the list after the votes were counted.
