Hyundai Exter wins the 2024 Indian Car of the Year title
The winner of this year's Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) has been announced, and the Hyundai Exter takes the throne in 2024. The Exter triumphed over Honda Elevate, Citroen C3 Aircross, Hyundai Verna, Mahindra XUV 400, Maruti Suzuki Jimny, MG Comet, and Toyota Innova Hycross.
This year's IMOTY was held in Delhi, and the jury included 14 of India's best auto-noters, including evo India's editor Sirish Chandran and assistant editor Aatish Mishra. This jury also chose BMW 7 Series as the Premium Car of the Year and Hyundai Ioniq 5 as the Green Car of the Year.
Before you proceed, the Ed and Assistant Ed have discussed the top eight finalists for the ICOTY, as well as sharing their perspectives as jury panellists. Watch the video here
Indian Car of the Year
Winner: Hyundai Exter
The Hyundai Exter was released in July 2023 for Rs 6 lakh. It is available with a petrol or CNG powertrain and a manual or AMT. The petrol engine produces 81bhp and 114Nm, while the CNG variant produces 68bhp and 95Nm. It has a segment-first 6 airbags and a dashcam with front and rear cameras.
Contenders
Honda Elevate
The Elevate was introduced by Honda in September 2023, with a starting price of Rs 11 lakh. It has a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated iVTEC engine that produces 118bhp and 145Nm. This mid-size SUV also has ADAS features.
Citroen C3 Aircross
Citroen launched the C3 Aircross in September 2023, with a price tag of Rs 10 lakh. It has a 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine that produces 108bhp and 190Nm and is only available with a 6-speed manual transmission. This mid-size SUV gets a 5+2 seating layout.
Hyundai Verna
Hyundai unveiled the new Verna in March 2023, with a price tag of Rs 10.96 lakh. It has a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with 158bhp and 253Nm, as well as a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with 113bhp and 144Nm. The sedan also receives a 5-star crash safety rating from Global NCAP.
Mahindra XUV 400
Mahindra launched its first electric vehicle, the XUV 400, in January 2023 for Rs 16 lakh. It provides a choice between a 34.5kWh and a 39.4kWh battery pack, with ranges of 375km and 456km, respectively.
Maruti Suzuki Jimny
Maruti Suzuki launched the five-door Jimny in India in June 2023 for Rs 12.74 lakh. The price of this SUV, however, has recently been reduced by 1-2 lakh depending on the trim level. A 1.5-litre engine producing 103bhp and 134Nm powers the Jimny. It also has 4x4 technology, including a low-range transfer case and LSD.
MG Comet
The Comet, MG's second all-electric vehicle, was launched in India in April 2023, with a price tag of Rs 7.98 lakh. It has a 17.3kWh battery pack with a range of 230km. An electric motor on the rear axle generates 41bhp and 110Nm.
Toyota Innova Hycross
Toyota introduced the Innova Hycross in December 2022 for Rs 18.30 lakh. It is available with a 2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 172bhp or a 2-litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor producing a total of 184bhp.
Premium Car of the Year
Winner: BMW 7 Series
BMW updated the 7 Series in 2023, giving it a complete makeover and packing a 2-litre diesel engine with 282bhp and a 2-litre petrol engine with 381bhp of power.
Contenders
Lexus RX
Lexus introduced a generational upgrade to the RX, charging Rs 95.80 lakh for the 350h variant and Rs 1.18 crore for the 500h F Sport variant.
BMW X1
The third-generation BMW X1 arrives in India in January 2023, powered by a 2-litre diesel engine producing 147bhp and 360Nm. It also comes with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with 134bhp and 230Nm of torque.
Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV went on sale in January 2023 for Rs 44.95 lakh. It has a 72.6kWh battery pack and an electric motor with 215bhp and 350Nm of torque. It has a range of 651km.
Lexus LX
Lexus launched the LX in India in December 2022 for Rs 2.18 crore. It packs in a 3.3-litre V6 diesel offered in the 500d trim, which is tuned to produce 304bhp and 700Nm of torque and is paired with a ten-speed automatic gearbox.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Land Rover introduced the Range Rover Sport in December 2022, with prices ranging from Rs 1.64 crore to Rs 1.84 crore. There are two engines available: a 3-litre inline-six mild-hybrid diesel and a 3-litre inline-six mild-hybrid petrol. The P400 petrol has 394.5bhp and 550Nm, while the D350 diesel has 345bhp and 700Nm.
Mercedes-Benz GLC
The second generation GLC debuted in August 2023, with prices starting at Rs 73.50 lakh. It is available in two versions: turbo-petrol GLC 300 (254bhp and 400Nm) and diesel GLC 220d (194bhp and 440Nm).
Volvo C40 Recharge
The C40 Recharge, Volvo's second EV in India, debuted in August 2024, with the same powertrain option as the XC40 Recharge, but with a longer range due to the crossover body style. It is equipped with a 78kWh battery pack, which powers the dual motors to produce 402bhp and 660Nm. It has a range of 530km.
Green Car of the Year
Winner: Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV went on sale in January 2023 for Rs 44.95 lakh. It has a 72.6 kWh battery pack and an electric motor with 215bhp and 350Nm of torque. It has a range of 651km.d
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Contenders
BMW i7
The electric version of the 7 series sedan went on sale in India in January 2023 for Rs 2.03 crore. It comes in two models: the entry-level xDrive60 M Sport and the more powerful M70 xDrive.
BYD Atto 3
The Atto 3 is the Chinese manufacturer’s second offering in India and it gets a 60.48kWh battery pack and has a range of 521km. An electric motor produces 201bhp and 310Nm torque.
Citroen eC3
Citroen's first electric offering in India, the eC3, went on sale in February 2023 for Rs 11.61 lakh. It has a 29.2kWh battery pack and paired with an electric motor that produces 56bhp and 146Nm.
Mahindra XUV 400
Mahindra launched its first electric vehicle, the XUV 400, in January 2023 for Rs 16 lakh. It provides a choice between a 34.5kWh and a 39.4kWh battery pack, with ranges of 375km and 456km, respectively.
Mercedes-Benz EQE
The Mercedes-Benz EQE, an electric counterpart of the GLE, debuted in India in September 2023 for Rs 1.39 crore. The 500 4MATIC variant is the only one available in India, and it features a 90.56kWh battery mated to dual electric motors that produce 402bhp and 858Nm. It has a range of 550km.
MG Comet
The Comet, MG's second all-electric vehicle, was launched in India in April 2023, with a price tag of Rs 7.98 lakh. It has a 17.3kWh battery pack with a range of 230km. An electric motor on the rear axle generates 41bhp and 110Nm.
Volvo C40 Recharge
The C40 Recharge, Volvo's second EV in India, debuted in August 2024, with the same powertrain option as the XC40 Recharge, but with a longer range due to the crossover body style. It is equipped with a 78kWh battery pack, which powers the dual motors to produce 402bhp and 660Nm. It has a range of 530km.
The ICOTY 2024 jury panel comprised Dhruv Behl, Chairman, and Ishan Raghava, Secretary, both from autoX. Yogendra Pratap and Rahul Ghosh represented Auto Today. Aspi Bhathena and Joshua Varghese were from Car India. Sirish Chandran and Aatish Mishra represented evo India. Pablo Chaterji and Kartik Ware were from Motoring World. Rohit Paradkar and Bob Rupani represented Overdrive. Vikrant Singh represented Carwale.com. Arpit Mahendra represented TOI Auto, and Ameya Dandekar represented Cardekho.com. Abhay Verma represented Turbocharged, and Kushan Mitra represented The Print. Cyrus Dhabhar represented Powerdrift.
Which cars, in your opinion, will be the best in 2023? Tell us in the comments below.
