Kia and ICOTY awards

A full-page ad on the front page of a leading national daily -The Hindu, caught my attention recently.  

The ad was by the Indian arm of Kia, the South Korean car maker. It had proudly announced the news of two of its car models winning at the coveted ICOTY awards. And it's a first for a car brand to strike twice at the awards the same year. This must have made Kia feel double happy. 

The ad carried stunning pictures of Kia Carens and Kia EV6, the proud winners. While the former has won the Car of the year award, the latter has won the Green car award for the third time. 

From a shortlist of 10 nominees including Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Mahindra Scorpio-N, Kia Carens has walked away with the ultimate prize. The models from Maruti and Mahindra settle with the second and third prizes respectively.

In the premium car segment, the award has gone to Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 for the second time in a row. This segment includes both premium and luxury cars -locally made and imported. BMW i4 and BMW iX are runners-up in this category. 

Congratulation winners.