Mahindra & Mahindra’s popular off-road SUV Thar Rocks has become the Indian Car of the Year 2025 (ICOTY2025). At the same time, MG Windsor received the Green Car of the Year 2025 award, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class received the Premium Car of the Year 2025 award and the Aprilia RS 457 sports motorcycle received the Indian Motorcycle of the Year award.
The 20th edition of the awards ceremony took place today (January 11) in Delhi. These vehicles were selected based on their price, fuel efficiency, style, comfort, safety, performance, practicality, technological innovation and ergonomics. The Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) awards are considered the Oscars of the automobile industry. Last year, 2024, Hyundai Exeter received the Indian Car of the Year award.
Mahindra Thar Rocks: Leaving Swift Dezire behind, Mahindra Thar Rocks won the title of Indian Car of the Year 2025 at the 20th edition of the ICOTY Awards. Maruti Suzuki Dezire finished second and Maruti Suzuki Swift third. Apart from this, BYD E-Max 7, Citroen Basalt, MG Windsor, Tata Curve/Curve EV, Tata Punch EV were in the top 8 list.
Mahindra Thar Rocks is a 5-door version of the company’s most popular SUV Thar, launched in the Indian market on September 2, 2024. It has recorded bookings of over 1.76 lakh in just an hour. The vehicle comes with both gasoline and diesel powertrains along with rear-wheel drive (RWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) drivetrains.
It is priced between Rs 12.99 and 22.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Its petrol engine gives a mileage of 12.40 km/litre and its diesel engine gives a mileage of 15.2 km/litre. It is available in 6 variants – MX1, MX3, MX5, AX3L, AX5L and AX7L along with 7 colors – Stealth Black, Burnt Sienna, Deep Forest, Battleship Grey, Nebula Blue, Tango Red and Everest White. here
MG Windsor EV: Green Car of the Year MG Windsor EV won the Green Car of the Year award by scoring a total of 157 points. The BMW i5 electric car ranked second with 99 points and BYD Seal third with 87 points. Apart from this, Tata Punch EV and Mini Countryman EV also featured in the list of top 5 cars in this category.
MG Windsor EV is India’s first smart electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV). The MG Windsor EV comes with a 38 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, IP67 rated, which offers a range of 332 km on a full charge. It has a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a power of 134 hp and a torque of 200 Nm.
MG Windsor EV is priced at Rs 13.50 lakh for the base Excite model, Rs 14.50 lakh for the mid-range Exclusive variant and Rs 15.50 lakh for the top-end Petrol model. For those who choose battery as a service, the price ranges from Rs 9.99 lakh to Rs 11.99 lakh. These are ex-showroom prices. here
Mercedes-Benz E-Class: Premium Car of the Year The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class won the Premium Car of the Year award. The BMW 5 Series placed second and the Kia Carnival third. Apart from this, luxury cars like BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Mini Cooper S, BMW i5 and BYD Seal have been included in this category.
The E-Class is available in two variants. The gasoline-powered E 200 and the diesel-powered E 220d. The E 200 is equipped with a 1,999 cc 4-cylinder turbocharged engine. The E 220d is equipped with a 1,950 cc 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine. Both variants come with a 48V mild-hybrid system. The car comes with a 9-speed automatic transmission. related to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class here
Aprilia RS 457: Indian Motorcycle of the Year The Aprilia RS 457 received this award at the 18th edition of Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY). In this category, Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike came second and Hero Extreme 125R third. This category included different segments such as premium commuters, sports bikes, modern classic cruisers, scramblers and street nakeds.
The Aprilia RS 457 sports bike features an aggressive design with clip-on handlebars, underbelly exhaust and split LED headlight. Its 457 cc parallel twin engine generates 46.9 hp and 43 Nm of torque. The engine comes with a 6-speed gearbox with assist and slip clutch for transmission.