New 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift hatchback was launched in the Indian market at the Auto Expo 2018 in February earlier this year. The Swift hatchback has been one of the most selling cars from the Indo-Japanese automaker. Adding another milestone to the brand, Maruti Suzuki Swift has been awarded with Indian Car of the Year 2019 or ICOTY 2019 award. The car emerged on the top to grab this ICOTY award against by competing against big names such as Honda Amaze, Mahindra Marazzo, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Santro, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and several others. The cars that finished second and third are Hyundai Santro and Honda Amaze respectively. Iconic Maruti Suzuki 800 Celebrates the 35th Anniversary; Sachin Tendulkar & Shah Rukh Khan Once Owned This Car.

The vehicle is evaluated of several parameters such as fuel-efficiency, value, comfort, design, performance, technology and features. Moreover, the main distinguishing aspect for the winners is the competency to adapt and suit the Indian roads and driving conditions. This year’s competition was the most intense at it had witnessed 19 shortlists for ICOTY and 12 shortlists in IMOTY. Also, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd had been supporting Indian automotive industry’s most prestigious awards - ICOTY and IMOTY since the inception.

The jury at the 12th edition of ICOTY comprised of Abhay Verma and Rohit Paradkar from Overdrive, Yogendra Pratap and Rahul Ghosh from Auto Today, Aspi Bhathena and Sarmad Kadiri from Car India, Sirish Chandran and Aninda Sardar from Evo India, Dhruv Behl and Ishan Raghava from AutoX, Hani Musthafa from Flywheel, Pablo Chaterji from MansWorld, Girish Karkera and Agasti Kaulgi from Top Gear India, Vikrant Singh from carwale.com, Kartik Ware and Raunak Ajinkya from Motoring World and Muralidhar Swaminathan from The Hindu Business Line. Maruti Suzuki Cars Price Hike: Maruti Ertiga, Alto, Swift, S-Cross To Get Expensive By January 2019.

Maruti Suzuki Swift 2018 is priced in India from Rs 4.99 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi). The hatchback comes in both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol engine is a 1.2-litre K-series unit while the oil burner is a 1.3-litre DDiS engine. The hatchback is claimed to proffer a mileage of 22kmpl and 28.4 kmpl for petrol and diesel versions respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2018 01:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).