It all started back in 2005, when senior and eminent journalists from all the leading automobile magazines in India got together and decided to create and confer the Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) award.
This award is an expert and independent judgment of the best new car. The highly experienced jury members are responsible for selecting a single decisive winner, and the voting process has been designed to be very fair and tamper-proof. Criteria like price, fuel-efficiency, styling, comfort, safety, performance, practicality, technical innovation, value for money, and suitability for Indian driving conditions are particularly important factors while deciding on the winner.
ICOTY is the most credible and coveted Indian automotive award, and is often referred to as the ‘Oscar’ of the Indian automotive industry. JK Tyre has been a proud sponsor of the grand award ceremonies right from the inception of the award.
The Mahindra XUV700 was crowned the 2022 Indian Car of the Year. On behalf of the ICOTY 2022 jury, Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Limited, presented the ICOTY 2022 trophy to Veejay Nakra (CEO – Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Automotive Sector). In this year’s ICOTY battle, the Mahindra XUV700 had competition from some very strong contenders, like the Citroën C5 Aircross, Force Gurkha, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, MG Astor, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Skoda Kushaq, Skoda Octavia, Tata Punch, and VW Taigun. These were the 11 finalists shortlisted by the ICOTY jury. In the end, the XUV700 took home the crown with 101 points. The Volkswagen Taigun came in second and the Tata Punch rounded off the top three.
Mercedes-Benz took home the Premium Car Award 2022 for the new S-Class. On behalf of the ICOTY jury, Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Limited, presented the award to Martin Schwenk (MD & CEO – Mercedes-Benz India). The Premium Car Award takes into consideration all premium, performance and luxury cars that sit above the ₹40-lakh mark. These include both, locally produced as well as imported car models. The Mercedes-AMG A 45 S and the Volvo S60 were runners-up in the Premium Car category.
Audi took home the 2nd Green Car Award by ICOTY for the e-tron. Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & MD, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., presented the Green Car Award 2022 trophy to Balbir Singh Dhillon (Head – Audi India). The Green Car Award takes into consideration all hybrid and electric vehicles currently available in the Indian market. These include both, locally produced as well as imported car models. The Audi e-tron pipped the RS e-tron GT and the Jaguar I-Pace to claim the top spot on the podium.