Autocar India Awards 2011
Results of the most hotly contested and respected auto awards in India, the Bloomberg-UTV Autocar Awards 2011, are out and here are the deserving winners.
Car of the Year 2011 - Ford Figo: The Figo may not have the design flair of other hatchbacks in its segment and its 1.2 petrol, though smooth and efficient, is outclassed by other 1200cc engines. However, the diesel Figo makes a strong case for itself with the responsive and frugal 1.4-litre Duratorq motor. And it offers brilliant ride and handling, true to Ford DNA. The Figo’s interiors are pretty spacious, well equipped and solidly built. In fact the Ford Figo comes across as a Fiesta without a boot. So for being superb value for money and for its ride and handling characteristics, the Figo takes home the coveted Car of the Year 2011 award.
Bike of the Year 2011 – Honda Twister: The CB Twister is Honda’s first 110cc motorcycle for India. It is effortlessly the best looking model in its class borrowing styling cues from the brawny CB1000R superbike. Honda typical best quality and build only add to this little bike’s appeal. Then there is its refined and frugal 109cc engine that surprises with genuinely peppy performance. Ride is fine while this Honda sets a new benchmark for handling in the commuter segment. All these factors come together to make one cracker of a bike. And that is why the Honda CB Twister easily grabs the crown of Bike of the Year 2011.
Saloon car of the Year 2011 – Toyota Etios: The Etios won’t win any beauty competition but it blows away rivals in space and comfort, fuel efficiency and ease of driving. It’s a genuine five-seater with comfortable seats and heavy luggage space. The 1.5-litre motor has a wonderfully linear power delivery, a breeze to drive in town. Aided by the car’s low weight, this motor delivers class-leading fuel economy. Add to it Toyota reliability and you get a fantastic package, at a great price.
Compact Car of the Year 2011 – Maruti WagonR: Underpinned by a brand new chassis that is leagues ahead of the previous model, the new WagonR is bigger and much better in every aspect than the car it replaces. It comes with the brilliant 998cc, three-cylinder K10 engine. This, along with the WagonR’s light controls, high seating and tiny proportions, make it effortless to punt around town. And thanks to its tall shape, it’s far more airy than its rivals. On the downside, it doesn’t come across as solid or refined as some others in its class. Plus cabin insulation could be better. Overall, the WagonR is a great city car, making it our Compact Car of the Year 2011.
4x4 of the Year – Skoda Yeti: The Yeti will not catch the fancy of those looking for a traditional SUV where price-to-size ratio is paramount. It’s just not imposing enough. What this compact SUV has, however, is the appeal of a 4x4 with the convenience of a car built in. It looks attractive and has a tank-like build quality. While the Yeti is agile on tarmac, it is equally capable off tarmac. And the 140bhp diesel motor gives it an impressive turn of foot. The interiors are accurately what you expect from a car in this class and the flexible seating is a plus. Its everyday practicality and everywhere capability are strong points.
Viewers Choice Award 2011
CNBC-TV18 Overdrive Awards 2011 has been announced and winners are not so new to the automobile industry. The Yamaha SZ has won the Viewer Choice Award 2011 while Honda CB Twister got 2011 Bike of the Year Award. This year, supersports Suzuki GSX-R1000 got the Performance Bike of the Year 2011 Award. All the bikes are most popular bikes in India in their segment.
The Yamaha SZ X had been launched last year in India and its third variant introduced at the end of year 2010. On the other hand, Ducati Monster 796 won the Import Bike of the Year Award while Bajaj Pulsar selected as Hall Pride of the Bike award. And Bajaj Discover was awarded with Auto Commercial of the Year award. This year launched TVS Wego won Scooter of the Year 2011 Award and outplayed Honda Activa.
CNBC-TV18 Overdrive Awards 2011 covers bikes and cars in India, the bike and cars which got the reputed awards are; Ford Figo-Viewer’s Choice and Compact Car of the Year Award in 4 wheelers segment, Toyota Etios- Car of the Year, Toyota Etios- Mid-sized Car of the Year, BMW 5 Series-Premium Automobile of the year, Audi A4 3.0TDI - Performance Car of the Year, Mercedes SLS AMG - Import Car of the Year, Hyundai Santa Fe - Import SUV of the Year, VW Polo - Premium Hatchback of the Year, Honda Jazz-X - Auto Commercial of the Year in car segment, Toyota Prius - Green Award of the Year, VW Motorsport got Motorsport award of the Year and Skoda Yeti received SUV/UV of the Year while Maruti Suzuki India and Suzuki K12B got the Manufacturer of the Year and Engine of the Year Award, respectively. CNBC-TV18 Overdrive Awards 2011 selected the vehicles which were launched among period of 1 January, 2010 to 21 December, 2010. Apart from these vehicles, the Mumbai Traffic Police also awarded for better work to traffic control.
Petrol Price Hiked By Rs. 3/litre
Yet another petrol price hike in India. State-run oil advertising companies have decided to increase the rate of petrol by around Rs 2.95 a litre to pass on the impact of rising crude prices, which touched $90 per barrel this week. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) is increasing the price by Rs 2.95 a litre, effective Tuesday midnight, while the other two — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) — will follow suit later this week. This will be the second-steepest increase in petrol prices in this calendar year and the sixth increase in this monetary year so far. “We have decided to increase petrol price by Rs 2.95 a litre efective midnight. The present underrecovery (revenue loss) on petrol is around Rs 4 a litre. Even after this increase, we will be left with a loss of about Re 1 on every litre,” said a senior BPCL executive. Popular fuel efficient bikes in India are Discover 100, Tvs Star City, Hero Honda Splendor and Honda Shine. A similar increase in diesel rates is likely to be considered by an Empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee later this month. Petrol pricing was decontrolled with effect from June 25 in accordance with the suggestion made by a committee headed by former Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh.
The Indian basket of crude oil has averaged around $88.47 a barrel in December, up by 5 per cent from the November average of $84.26 when the last increase in petrol prices by Re 0.32 a litre came. The current fiscal average price is $78.56 per barrel, up by a sharp 12.61 per cent from the 2008-09 average of $69.76. However, prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG that together account for over 60 per cent of petroleum products consumption, have not been increased since June 25. Popular fuel efficient cars in India are Tata Nano, Honda City, Optra Magnum and Hyundai i10. Currently, OMCs are incurring underrecovery (revenue loss) of Rs 4.11 per litre on diesel, Rs 16.88 per litre on kerosene and Rs 272 per cylinder on household LPG. Based on the increased crude oil price, they are expected to incur a income loss of Rs 65,000 crore in the present financial year on the sale of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene, up over 22 per cent from the earlier estimation of Rs 53,000 crore.
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