Kia Seltos and Suzuki Gixxer SF250 the big winners at Autocar Awards 2020

It’s that time of the year – an evening when the best cars and bikes launched in the year are recognised and awarded; an evening the Indian automotive industry looks forward to. It’s time for the Autocar Awards 2020; and headlining the list of winners at this year’s Awards are the Kia Seltos, which won Car of the Year, and the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, which won Bike of the Year.

The Seltos – which has generated tremendous response in the Indian market since its launch in August – also bagged the Midsize SUV of the Year award, and was the most popular with our audience as well, winning the Viewer’s Choice Car of the Year. It wasn’t just the Seltos that garnered applause – Kia Motors India also won the Manufacturer of the Year for getting its first product for India spot-on.

Other big winners at the Autocar Awards 2020 included the MG Hector (Value for Money Car of the Year), Hyundai Venue (Compact SUV of the Year) Tata Harrier (Best Design and Styling), Honda Civic (Executive Sedan of the Year) and the Hyundai Kona Electric (Green Car of the Year).

On the budget car front, the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso won the Budget Car of the Year title and the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios secured the Hatchback of the Year award. The MPV/Family Car of the Year award went to the seven-seat Renault Triber.

As for luxury cars, it was the new Audi A6 that won the Luxury Sedan of the Year, while the BMW X5 snapped up the Luxury SUV of the Year title and Porsche’s new-gen 911 bagged the Performance Car of the Year award. Another deserving winner was the Jeep Compass Trailhawk, which took home the Variant of the Year (Cars) title; and Mercedes-Benz India won the Technology and Innovation of the Year title for its MBUX infotainment system.

On the two-wheeler front, the Hero Maestro Edge 125 FI secured the Scooter of the Year title, and the Jawa Forty Two was a big hit with our audience, which saw it win the Viewer’s Choice Bike of the Year award. Updated in 2019, the Bajaj Dominar 400 won the Variant of the Year (Bikes); and other winners included the BMW S 1000 RR (Performance Bike of the Year), KTM 790 Duke (Premium Bike of the Year), Ducati Diavel 1260 S (Import Bike of the Year), BMW R 1250 GS Adventure (Adventure Bike of the Year) and the Triumph Speed Twin (Modern Classic Bike of the Year).

This year there was also a special set of awards recognizing some key figures in the Indian automotive landscape. Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director at MG Motor India, won the Man of the Year award; and race car driver Jehan Daruvala won the Motorsport Award, while the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways bagged the Safety award for the introduction of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019, as well as for introducing certain regulations to make cars sold in India safer.

AUTOCAR AWARDS 2020 WINNERS
Car of the Year: Kia Seltos
Bike of the Year: Suzuki Gixxer SF 250
Manufacturer of the Year: Kia
Man of the Year: Rajeev Chaba
Value for Money Car of the Year: MG Hector
Viewer’s Choice Car of the Year: Kia Seltos
Budget Car of the Year: Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
Hatchback of the Year: Hyundai Grand i10 Nios
MPV/Family car of the Year: Renault Triber
Compact SUV of the Year: Hyundai Venue
Midsize SUV of the Year: Kia Seltos
Green Car of the Year: Hyundai Kona Electric
Best Design and Styling: Tata Harrier|
Variant of the Year: Jeep Compass Trailhawk
Executive Sedan of the Year: Honda Civic
Luxury Sedan of the Year: Audi A6
Luxury SUV of the Year: BMW X5
Performance Car of the Year: Porsche 911 (992-gen)
Motorsport Award: Jehan Daruvala
Safety Award: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
Technology and Innovation Award: Mercedes-Benz
Performance Bike of the Year: BMW S 1000 RR
Premium Bike of the Year: KTM 790 Duke
Import Bike of the Year: Ducati Diavel 1260 S
Scooter of the Year: Hero Maestro Edge 125 FI
Viewer’s Choice Bike of the Year: Jawa Forty Two
Variant of the Year (Bikes): Bajaj Dominar 400
Adventure Bike of the Year: BMW R 1250 GS Adventure
Modern Classic Bike of the Year: Triumph Speed Twin