Maruti Suzuki Swift bagged the ‘Indian Car of the Year’ ICOTY 2019 award by clearing its way ahead of other seven competitors. Hyundai Santro got the second place while Honda Amaze bagged the third position after the tough competition. The strong list of contenders also had Mahindra Marazzo, Maruti Ertiga, Honda CR-V, Mahindra Alturas G4, and Toyota Yaris. Almost every product listed here had a special feature that made it unique among the pool of cars for ICOTY 2019 competition. The awards marked 14th successful year for ICOTY, with 18 senior automotive journalist under the jury panel and eight competitors from India’s best selling brands.
The evaluation was based on multiple factors like the practicality and compatibility of the car with Indian roads, fuel efficiency, and value for money factor. The jury members for ICOTY 2019 were Yogendra Pratap and Rahul Ghosh (Auto Today), Dhruv Behl and Ishan Raghava (Auto X), Aspi Bhathena and Sarmad Kadri (Car India), Sirish Chandran and Aninda Sardar (Evo India), Kartik Ware and Raunak Ajinkya (Motoring World), Abhay Verma and Rohit Paradkar (Overdrive), Girish Karkera and Agasti Kaulgi (Top Gear), Muralidhar Swaminathan (The Hindu Business Line), Hani Musthafa (Flywheel), Pablo Chaterji (Man’s World) and Vikrant Singh (CarWale).
ICOTY is one among the most prestigious car awards in India, presenting tougher than ever evaluations that match the grade of American, European and Japanese car of the year parameters. Maruti Swift is the highest selling cars of its segment, leaving behind tough competitors like Hyundai Grand i10 and Tata Tiago by a huge margin. Mahindra Marazzo was earlier expected to win the ICOTY 2019 award with its superstar entry into the Indian car segment. The entry of Ertiga with longer than ever wheelbase and loads of interior space further raised the segment benchmark. The ICOTY 2019 award was received by Kenichi Ayukawa, CEO, Maruti Suzuki.
