THE AWARDS

Completing a full decade this year, the Times Auto Awards has only gotten bigger and better

FROM A CHOICE OF A FEW MODELS FROM a few manufacturers, on the eve of the 14th Auto Expo, the number of global car makers that now do business in our country is huge. Naturally, at the end of 2017, when we all sat down to figure out which car and which two-wheeler stood out over its pack, the list was long and illustrious. The Times Auto Awards, in its tenth year and associated with evo India and Fast Bikes India for the past two years, seeks to recognise the best of this rapidly growing industry. To win this most prestigious and coveted of awards, the game the manufacturers have to play is one of pushing boundaries and exceeding expectations.

Like each of the years that have gone by, this year too an elite jury were burdened with the onerous task of sorting the year’s best from the rest over two days of exhaustive evaluation at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai. With no less than 57 four-wheelers spread across segments and body styles and 43 two-wheelers ranging from commuters to step through and superbikes, the jury had its task cut out. As with every one of the past ten years however, the jury once again rose to the challenge of sorting the best from the rest. Over the course of two full days of intense evaluation, no aspect of the contenders were ignored. From mechanical prowess to performance, handling, comfort, safety and overall value-for-money, every single aspect of a vehicle – four or two-wheeler – was put to the test. At the end, after much debate and discussion and immense fun, the jury came out with its verdict, choosing the names that would win the prestigious trophy while the others would have to come back again next year.