National: On a day filled with fast-paced thrills, NDTV presented the 10th Edition of the annual Car & Bike Awards, 2015, with Chief Guest Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Highways & Transport, giving the NDTV Car of the Year Award to Audi A3 and the NDTV Two Wheeler of the Year 2015 to Suzuki Gixxer. He also presented the CNB Viewers’ Choice Car of the Year to Hyundai i20. The Gixxer won in the Viewers’ Choice category too. Mr Gadkari announced the Manufacturer of the Year awards to Honda Cars and TVS Motor.
Other awards were presented by Mobil and Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Ltd during the ceremony, where leaders from the industry, marketers, Jury members and PR persons across the automobile industry were present.
The event began with an exhilarating display of speed and dexterity as 7 professional racers including Karun Chandhok and Aditya Patel, took guests on a thrilling ride around the Buddh International Circuit. A first-ever experiential activity for any automobile awards and the guests were lining up for the opportunity
The evening dazzled as awards were presented across various categories including the SUV and Scooter of the year. The coveted Viewers’ Choice category for both Cars and Bikes received over 85,500 votes this year.
Alia Bhatt was awarded the Brand Ambassador of the Year for Hero Pleasure, while the Mobil Motorsport of the Year award was presented to upcoming race talent 16-year old Jehan Daruvala.
Two drone cameras captured the track’s expanse during the hot laps, and allowed for an overview of the unique stage later, keeping the audience enthralled.
Speaking on the occasion Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, NDTV Group’s Editor Auto & Head of Automobile Programming said, “It’s been an incredible journey over a decade, and with pride and confidence I can say we now have the most accurate, transparent, comprehensive and credible automobile honours in the country, with an enviable jury and the support of our many viewers. The 2015 edition has been the best yet, and we promise to deliver the same if not better standards in the future too.”
Some of the most prominent personalities from the auto industry and auto aficionados attending the event included Vincent Cobee, Global Vice President Nissan; Pawan Goenka, President of Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra; RC Bhargava, Non- Executive Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India; Keita Muramatsu, CEO HMSI; Eberhard Kern, CEO & MD Mercedes-Benz India; Sudhir Rao, MD Skoda India; Joe King, Head Audi India; Arvind Saxena, President & MD, General Motors India; and Gul Panag, Actress and Biker, among other distinguished guests.
The NDTV Car & Bike Awards has over the years, gained prominence amidst the clutter of auto awards in India, as being the most credible. The Awards boasted a panel of eminent jury members including Dilip Chhabria of DC Design; Gul Panag, Actress and Biker; Racers Aditya Patel & Karun Chandhok; Dr V Sumantran, Senior Industry Consultant; Kamlesh Patel, Rallyist & Auto Enthusiast; Pablo Chaterji, Managing Editor, Man’s World; Dhruv Behl, Editor, autoX and Sulajja Firodia Motwani of Kinetic Engineering, with Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, Editor-Auto, NDTV Group.
The CNB-AAA Awards for marketing & communications categories Jury comprised Ad Guru Prahlad Kakkar; Sam Balsara, CMD, Madison Communications; Prema Sagar, Principal and Director, Genesis Burson-Marsteller; with Shruti Verma Singh and Siddharth Vinayak Patankar from NDTV.
This was also the second year of the awards’ association with the World Car Awards, and the first with two separate two wheeler & car juries – with jury meets for each being held on consecutive days at the Buddh International Circuit.
The Presenting Sponsor for the Awards was once again Mobil, with Universal Sompo as the Powered By Sponsor. Associate Sponsors for the NDTV Car & Bike Awards 2015 were IDBI Bank, Big Boy Toys and MRF. Sound Partner: JBL by Harman; Fuel Efficiency Partner: PCRA; Exclusive Outdoor Partner: Laqshya; Magazine Partner: Ravish Kapoor and Fleet Partner: Mann
Winners List
THE NDTV CAR & BIKE AWARDS 2015 – CARS
Entry Hatchback of the Year: Maruti Suzuki Celerio
Premium Hatchback of the Year: Hyundai i20
Subcompact Sedan of the Year: Hyundai Xcent
Compact Sedan of the Year: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
Multi-Utility Vehicle of the Year: Honda Mobilio
SUV of the Year: Mahindra Scorpio
Premium SUV of the Year: Hyundai Santa Fe
Luxury SUV of the Year: BMW X5
Entry Premium Car of the Year: Audi A3
Premium Sedan of the Year: Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Luxury Sedan of the Year: Mercedes-Benz S Class
Performance Car of the Year: BMW M4
Sportscar of the Year: Jaguar F – Type Coupe
Car Manufacturer of the Year: Honda Cars India
CNB Viewers’ Choice Car of the Year: Hyundai i20
NDTV Car of the Year: Audi A3
THE NDTV CAR & BIKE AWARDS 2015 – TWO WHEELERS
Motorcycle of the Year Up To 110 cc: TVS Star City +
Motorcycle of the Year Up To 160 cc: Suzuki Gixxer
Motorcycle of the Year Up To 250 cc: KTM RC 200
Motorcycle of the Year Up To 500 cc: KTM RC 390
Motorcycle of the Year Up To 1000 cc: Harley-Davidson Street 750
Motorcycle of the Year Above 1000 cc: Triumph Tiger Explorer Xc
Scooter of the Year: Honda Activa 125
Two Wheeler Manufacturer of the Year: TVS Motor Co.
CNB Viewers’ Choice Two Wheeler of the Year: Suzuki Gixxer
NDTV Two Wheeler of the Year: Suzuki Gixxer
GENERAL AWARDS
1. Design of the Year
a. Car: Hyundai 120
b. Two Wheeler: KTM RC 390
Automotive Man of the Year: Mercedes-Benz Global CEO Dieter Zetsche
Mobil Motorsport Award: Jehan Daruvala
PCRA Green Award: Maruti Suzuki for AGS & increased fuel efficiency and Hero Motocorp for Splendor iSmart
Mobil Motorsport Certificates: Diljeet, Ameya Bafna, Vishnu Prasad, Karthik Tarani and Tarun Reddy
CNB-AAA AWARDS
Best Television Commercial of the Year (4 Wheeler): Honda Amaze
Creative Television Commercial of the Year (2 Wheeler): TVS Sport
Best Integrated Campaign of the Year: Honda Mobilio
Best PR & Communication Team of the Year: Audi India
Best Digital Campaign: Honda Mobilio
Best Innovative Use Of A Medium: Hero Auto Expo
Brand Ambassador of the Year: Alia Bhatt for Hero Pleasure