Ford Figo has been named the Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) 2011
. The exceptional hatchback was awarded on December 15. In India, being named as the Indian Car of the Year is the biggest and most prestigious award that could be given only to top automobiles in the country. Ford Figo has been selected out of the array of cars available in the fastest growing Indian car market to receive this prestigious award. The award is already running its sixth year and is given to a new car after extensive testing by selected jury members that include renowned automobile journalists in India. Dr R P Singhania, Vice-chairman and managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries present the award to Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director of Ford India at a grand function in Mumbai.
Mr. Boneham said that the award is a great way to end the year for Ford Figo. The award is seen as an honor as it is given by all of the best critics in the industry. Receiving the award from the jury members that include the most reputable automobile reporters validates the efforts that were put into building the Ford Figo which has a reputation for being elegant in design, efficient in fuel and a pleasure in driving experience and most importantly sold in a very competitive price! He added that the company is thankful to the members of the jury and to those who bought the model which made it a success.
The 11-member jury selected the hatchback through a multi-point voting system that is similar to the one used by the European Car of the Year for its selection criteria.
Ford India sold 79, 586 cars from January to November of this year which registers them a hike of 185 percent over the same time in 2009. Ford Figo has also made a mark in the market of South Africa and was also among the finalists in the South African Car of the Year award, the winner for the said award is still to be declared. Since the launch of the hatchback, it is able to sell almost 60, 000 units which is considered a record on its own.