Suzuki Motor Corporation has announced that it has two eligible nominations in the new ‘Urban Car’ category of the 2017 World Car of The Year (WCOTY).

To qualify, vehicles must be less than four metres long, suitable in design for everyday use in an urban environment and also be on sale in two continents by the deadline of mid-2017. The Baleno hatchback model at 3.99 metres and the new Ignis Mini Crossover at 3.70 metres both qualify for judging and there are six other new cars listed in this category.

The World Car Awards (WCA) is a programme initiated, organised and conducted by automotive journalists from all over the world. The WCA are administered by a not-for-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of distinguished automotive journalists. It is intended to complement, not compete with existing national and regional COTY awards, which are inherently different in scope. The World Car of the Year judging panel comprises of 73 automotive industry journalists.

Manufactured solely at Maruti Suzuki India’s Manesar plant, the Baleno was first launched in India in October 2015. Since then, the car has seen handsome sales, crossing the 100,000 unit mark in less than a year after launch. The made-in-India Baleno was first exported to Japan and then in June 2016, to Europe.

The new Ignis crossover model was first launched in Japan for the domestic market and more recently unveiled for Europe at the Paris Motor Show; it will go on sale from January 2017.