WINNER! Indian car of the year announced

India saw a number of new launches in 2016. It was an eventful year for the car manufacturers. Maruti launched their first ever compact SUV in India, Tata replaced Honda from the 3rd spot of largest selling manufacturer in India, and a lot more happened. The next year is almost here, and before that, it’s time for the Indian car of the year 2016.

ICOTY – Maruti Vitara Brezza

The jury of the Indian Car of the Year or ICOTY announced that the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is this year’s winner. ICOTY is the most prestigious award given to cars sold in India. Various print publications like Car India, Auto Today, Overdrive, Evo, Motoring, autoX, Top Gear and Hindu Businessline choose one car after various tests, and reviews.

The Brezza was unveiled during the Auto Expo in January this year. The car was launched in March 2016 and since then, Maruti has sold over 83,000 units of the car. The Brezza is powered by 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder DDiS 200 diesel engine that churns out a maximum of 89 BHP and 200 Nm of torque. The Brezza returns a maximum of 24.3 km/l. The Brezza competes against the likes of Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV 300 in the market. Maruti also offers the option of customising the Brezza through iCreate.

The nominees in the ICOTY 2017 were:

Audi A4, BMW 7 series, BMW X1, Datsun Redi-Go, Ford Endeavour, Honda BR-V, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Tucson, Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, Jaguar XE, Mahindra KUV100, Mahindra Nuvosport, Mercedes Benz GLC, Skoda Superb, Tata Tiago, Toyota Innova Crysta, Volkswagen Ameo and Maruti Suzuki Brezza (the chosen winner).

Other awards

NDTV Car and Bike show award – Skoda Superb

NDTV Car and Bike show chose the Skoda Superb as their car of the year in 2017. The 2017 Superb is an all-new car built on a new platform. The premium looking sedan competes against the full-fledged hybrid cars like Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in the market and still managed to grab the top award.

Skoda powers the car with two engine choices. There is a turbocharged 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine that generates a maximum of 174.6 BHP and there is a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine that generates a maximum of 177.5 BHP of maximum power. There is 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-speed DSG unit. The diesel engine does not get a choice of manual transmission.

Overdrive-CNBC car of the year – Maruti Vitara Brezza

The Vitara Brezza’s sales figure show how much the market loves the car. The first ever compact SUV from Maruti won another car of the year award from Overdrive-CNBC. Even though the vehicle is yet to get a petrol engine, it’s a very strong seller. Maruti will launch the petrol powered Vitara Brezza next year. The car will be powered by 1.0-liter turbo petrol engine with maximum 108 BHP of power.

Team-BHP car of the year award – Tata Tiago

Forumers at India’s biggest automotive forum chose Tata’s lucky charm as the car of the year. Tata launched the Tiago earlier this year and the small hatchback became an instant hit in the market. The small hatch is currently selling around 6,000 units per month and the car entered the top-10 selling cars in India.

Tata Tiago offers some first-in-class features like driving modes, cooled glove box, and smart infotainment system. The car is powered by 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine that generates a maximum of 83.8 BHP and 114 Nm of torque. The diesel engine is 1.05-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged engine that generates a maximum of 69.04 BHP and 140 Nm of maximum torque.