Jeep and TVS won big at the Autocar Awards 2018, with the Compass being crowned the Car of the Year, and the Apache RR 310 winning the Bike of the Year title.
The jury's picks mirrored the sentiments of the viewers, as the Compass and Apache also won the Viewers' Choice Car and Bike of the Year awards, respectively. Victory was sweeter still for the Compass, which also picked up the Premium SUV of the Year award.
The evening was a memorable one for Maruti Suzuki. Apart from winning the Manufacturer of the Year award, it picked up three more honours: the Dzire secured the Compact Sedan of the Year award, the Baleno RS bagged the Variant of the Year accolade and the Autocar Professional Man of the Year title went to Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
In other important categories, the Ford EcoSport lay claim to the Compact SUV of the Year title, and the Hyundai Verna was adjudged Sedan of the Year. The Tata Nexon sealed the Best Design & Styling and Value for Money Car of the Year awards, while the Skoda Octavia RS was declared the Best Driver's Car.
In the performance division, the Audi S5 won Performance Car of the Year and the Triumph Street Triple RS was chosen as the Performance Bike of the Year. As for awards in the luxury category, it was the Mercedes-Benz E-class that snapped up the Luxury Car of the Year, and the Volvo XC60 took home the Luxury SUV of the Year title.
Mahindra Racing picked up the Motorsport award for the success it tasted last year in Formula E.
2018 AUTOCAR AWARDS WINNERS
1. Car of the Year – Jeep Compass
2. Bike of the Year – TVS Apache RR 310
3. Viewers' Choice Car of the Year – Jeep Compass
4. Viewers' Choice Bike of the Year – TVS Apache RR 310
5. Best Design & Styling – Tata Nexon
6. Best Value for Money Car of the Year – Tata Nexon
7. Variant of the Year – Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS
8. Manufacturer of the Year – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd
9. Performance Car of the Year – Audi S5
10. Performance Bike of the Year – Triumph Street Triple RS
11. Compact sedan of the Year – Maruti Suzuki Dzire
12. Sedan of the Year – Hyundai Verna
13. Compact SUV of the Year – Ford EcoSport
14. Premium SUV of the Year – Jeep Compass
15. Luxury SUV of the Year – Volvo XC60
16. Scooter of the Year – Honda Grazia
17. Premium Bike of the Year – Honda Africa Twin AT
18. Import Bike of the Year – Kawasaki Z900
19. Motorsport Award – Mahindra Racing
20. Autocar Professional Man of the Year – Kenichi Ayukawa – MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd
21. Technology and Innovation Award of the Year – BMW 5-series
22. Engine of the Year – Ford ‘Dragon’ 1.5 petrol
23. Luxury Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz E-class
24. Best Driver's Car of the Year – Skoda Octavia RS