2010 Awards Special: Editorial

Well for a couple of clear cut reasons: recognizing excellence across the board to begin with and then figuring out the standout car and motorcycle of the year using the mantras of fitness to purpose and absolute relevance to class. This is what enables us to make the critical decisions while pitting cars like the Suzuki Wagon R against the BMW 5-series, both winners in their respective categories yet both having their own relevance to class.

In such a scenario we draw upon the decades of experience not just to choose the most deserving but also back that up with a thorough domain knowledge and expertise of the automotive business in the land. And of course we backed this up with a simple process (patterned on the European Car of the Year Awards) which was closely monitored and validated by an independent agency.

Our task was made even more difficult - as it happens every year - thanks to the overall quality of all the contenders having pushed the game forward. This can only be a good thing for all concerned because today no one makes a bad car or a bike. It is the degree to which a car or a bike stands out as better than those in a good crop enables it to make the quantum jump to the top step of the ET - ZigWheels podium. In fact there was little between several contenders that any one of them could have been a worthy winner.

In the final analysis therefore what emerged among the crop of fine cars and bikes were two worthy and exceptional examples of what the Indian automotive industry is capable of delivering. Take a bow Ford and Yamaha SZ-X and to all those who couldn't quite make the top rung of the podium, the success of these two should be incentive (and motivation) enough to step on the throttle pedal and gun for glory.