Maruti’s Swift is Times Auto car of year

MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki’s Swift, one of the most popular cars on Indian roads, won the Car of the Year award at the Times Auto Awards on Friday. Homegrown two-wheeler major Eicher Motors lifted the Bike of the Year award for its Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.

At the 11th edition of the Times Auto Awards, powered by BBC TopGear, another homegrown giant Tata Motors bagged the Manufacturer of the Year award. Other winners included Lamborghini Urus, which won the Xtra Premium Hypercar of the Year award, while Porsche’s Cayenne took away the Luxury SUV of the Year award. The winners were honoured with the Flight of Fantasy trophy.

The winners were selected across 22 categories after an exhaustive procedure that evaluated the cars and bikes on parameters like ride quality, driving dynamics, affordability and features, among others.

BCCL president (revenue) Sivakumar Sundaram said that, with a firm emphasis on credibility and integrity, the team at BCCL, which publishes this newspaper, has successfully brought together the two powerhouses — Times Auto Awards and BBC TopGear India. “We are proud to put together a property which has set a benchmark for the automobile industry. Both Times Auto and BBC TopGear are brands that are very competent and strive to excel in every way,” he said. These awards represent the best of the best in the industry, that is, automobiles that deliver more than what is expected from them and which is beyond comparison, Sundaram added.

BBC TopGear India editor Girish Karkera said that the success of an automobile can always be measured by the number of units sold or the amount of money it makes for its maker. “What we are trying to do is recognise those who do so, while staying true to the purpose it was built for and stay ahead of its rivals. This is a special bunch that deserves a special accolade,” Karkera said.