Every automobile award ceremony awards cars and bikes that are likely to sell the most, that will appeal to the Indian psyche, that will impress the lowest common denominator. Every award ceremony till the 6th BBC TopGear Magazine Awards. Here only the most fun, the most entertaining, the most path-breaking machines that set standards for new machines to follow are the ones drive away with the glory of what’s unarguably the coolest emblem in the automotive dictionary – the Stig trophy.
Tamannah at the ’6th TopGear Awards 2013′ at Sofitel, Mumbai.2
BBC TopGear India has now grown to be India’s second-largest automotive title and right on the heels of the magazine’s 100th issue, comes their 6th Awards celebrating the finest sets of wheels to have scorched our roads in the year gone by.
Commenting on the BBC TopGear Magazine Awards 2013,Tarun Rai, CEO, Worldwide Media Ltd, said: “There are trophies and then there is the Stig. The Stig is not an easy one to win. Our team ‘lives’ with these wonderful machines through the year before passing their judgement. It’s great to celebrate the hottest wheels of last year”.
The hottest car this year is the Porsche Cayman S, the car of the year and KTM Duke 390 took home the motorcycle of the year award. Commenting on the choice for the ultimate winner,GirishKarkera, Editor, BBCTopGear India said: “The Porsche is a sportscar alright, but the standards it sets with its ride comfort, handling, everyday usability and driver engagement is something we wish every car – be it a budget hatch or a luxury limo — would emulate.”
Held at Sofitel Hotel, BKC, Mumbai, the awards night also saw cars as diverse as the Hyundai Grand i10 and Honda Amaze to the Aston Martin Rapide S and the Jaguar F-Type win awards. As is the manner with BBC TopGear awards so far, all the winners this year were selected by the magazine’s in-house editorial team who drive, ride and practically live with the cars all through the year as a part of their regular evaluation and test-drive work. A sharp contrast to the usual industry procedure of inviting outsiders and asking them to drive and ride a year’s worth of cars and bikes in a single day and make a decision based on a few minutes of time spent with the machines.
“This way, we are sure of what we choose, we can resolutely stand by our choices and ensure our choices remain credible till the next path-breaking machine comes along,” said GirishKarkera. While last year saw a whole gamut of SUVs invading the market, this year’s awards saw significant improvements in already existing products. Cars like Aston Martin’s Rapide S and Volkswagen’s Polo GT were not all new generation cars, but the improvements they made in the last year with upgrades in the engine and gearbox made them as good as new cars. “The category for the most improved car was keenly fought for. Unfortunately, some very good cars had to be left out,” says GirishKarkera. The Aston Martin and the VW won the most improved import car and most improved car respectively.
The winners are:
Convertible of the Year – Jaguar F-Type
Driver’s Car of the Year – BMW 1 Series
Family Car of the Year – Ford EcoSport
Luxury Car of the Year – Range Rover
Value Car of the Year – Honda Amaze
Man of the Year – ChetanMaini (Mahindra Reva)
Man of the Year (Motorsport) – Gaurav Gill (Team MRF)
Manufacturer of the Year – Mercedes-Benz
Most Beautiful Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Interior of the Year – Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Exotic Bike of the Year – Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R
Engine of the Year – Audi 4.0 V8 Turbo Petrol (S6)
Most Beautiful Bike of the Year – Royal Enfield Continental GT
Most Improved Car of the Year – Volkswagen Polo GT TSI
Most Improved Supercar of the Year – Aston Martin Rapide S
Most Improved Bike of the Year – Harley-Davidson NightRod Special
Readers’ Choice Car of the Year – Ford EcoSport
Readers’ Choice Bike of the Year – KTM Duke 390
Scooter of the Year – TVS Jupiter
Saloon Car of the Year – Skoda Octavia
Small Car of the Year – Hyundai Grand i10
Sports Csar of the Year – Porsche Cayman S
Surprise of the Year – Hyosung Aquila Pro
SUV of the Year – Mercedes-Benz GL 350
Bike of the Year – KTM 390 Duke
Car of the Year – Porsche Cayman S