The Middle East Car of the Year (MECOTY) Awards for 2017 were held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center on 30th of March. The MECOTY Awards ceremony is the most prestigious and much-awaited event in the regional automotive industry as it acknowledges some of the best car brands for their outstanding cars of the year in the Middle East. This year’s Middle East Car of the Year Awards marked the fourth anniversary of the event and proved to be a great success with some amazing cars awarded for their splendid performance.
Ford Ranger takes Best Midsize truck of the year at the #MECOTY2017 awards. #BuiltFordTough #MECOTY pic.twitter.com/wmkQpzOj7g
— Ford Middle East (@FordMiddleEast) March 30, 2017
Also read: Winners of 2016 Middle East Car of the Year Announced
What Was Different in this Year’s MECOTY Awards
The Middle East Car of the Year Awards were held in conjunction with two other events in Abu Dhabi on 30th of March, 2017. The second edition of the Abu Dhabi International Auto Show and the third edition of the Custom Show Emirates were the other events that were held along with the MECOTY awards. The simultaneous occurring of the three famous automotive events gave an amazing source of entertainment to the attendants and added to the jubilation of winners of the awards.
Attendants and Jury of the Event
The MECOTY Awards for 2017 were attended by Media personnel and officials of major automotive brands from the region. The MECOTY awards bear great significance in the automotive industry of the Middle East as this is the event that recognizes the year’s best vehicles in the region based on their performance, safety, reliability and aesthetics judged by a jury that consists of some of the most experienced and brilliant automotive personnel from the region.
Who Won the Maximum Awards?
The automotive industry of Middle East saw some amazing cars that ruled the hearts of car enthusiasts last year, but some of these cars were in a league of their own and the MECOTY Awards 2017 honored all such cars and their manufacturers. The Gala event witnessed many famous car manufacturers receiving the appreciation and awards for their amazing cars, but the maximum awards were won by Audi, Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota. Audi won the maximum nine awards, while Jaguar Land Rover won three and Toyota secured two awards.
Audi Takes the Throne
Audi won the awards for seven different categories and also won the Jury Car of the Year Award, which is considered as the most prestigious award of the show. The Brand Director of Audi in the Middle East thanked the jury and was delighted after receiving the ultimate recognition at the MECOTY Awards 2017.
No caption needed. #MECOTY2017 @mecoty_uae pic.twitter.com/Eb0TLgW0vQ
— Audi Middle East (@AudiMiddleEast) March 30, 2017
While Audi enjoyed a phenomenal success at the MECOTY awards, we take a look at all the winners from different categories:
Best Sedans of the Year
2016 Sedans chaptered a new era in the automotive industry with their elegant designs, smooth performance and state-of-the-art convenience as well as safety features.
Following were recognized as the best sedans of the year at the MECOTY Awards 2017:
Best Large Sedan: KIA Cadenza
Best Large Premium Sedan: Cadillac CT6
Best Large Premium Performance Sedan: Audi S8 Plus
Best Compact Sedan: Honda Civic
Best Compact Premium Sedan: Audi A4
Best Midsize Sedan: Nissan Altima
Best Midsize Premium Sedan: Volvo S90
Best Midsize Premium Performance Sedan: Audi RS7 Performance
Performance Cars of the Year
Performance cars include Coupe, Convertibles and Hatchbacks. These cars are stylish, high on performance and offer better fuel consumption when compared to other cars.
Many performance cars made their way to the regional car market last year and listed below are the top performance cars of the year:
Best Hatchback: Ford Figo
Best Performance Hatchback: Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport
Best Performance Coupe: Chevrolet Camaro SS
Best Compact Premium Convertible: Mercedes-Benz SLC
Best Premium Performance Coupe: Jaguar F- Type SVR
Best Sports Coupe: Audi TTS
Best Supercar: Audi R8 V10
Best Supercar Convertible: McLaren 675 LT Spider
Also read: 2017 Jaguar F-Type SVR: Specifications and Features Revealed
SUVs and Trucks of the Year
This category recognizes the vehicles that are mostly known for their powerful off-road performance. It also includes the SUVs which not only deliver an amazing off-road driving experience but also exhibit their remarkable potential in-city driving.
Following were the best SUVs and trucks of the year as recognized by MECOTY Awards:
Best Compact SUV: Ford Edge
Best Sub-Compact SUV: Renault Koleos
Best Compact Premium SUV: Audi RS Q3
Best Midsize SUV: Toyota Fortuner
Best Large Premium SUV: Bentley Bentayga
Best Premium Crossover: Infiniti QX50
Best Compact Premium Performance SUV: Jaguar F-Pace
Best Midsize Truck: Ford Ranger
Special Awards at the MECOTY 2017
There were special awards that were handed over to some special cars at the event. These awards appreciated car brands for playing a critical role in shaping the future of the automotive industry and acknowledged the cars that could manage to impress the Jury and Public.
Following were the special awards and their winners at the MECOTY 2017:
Pioneer of the Industry Award: Range Rover Evoque Convertible
Future of Motoring Award: Toyota Prius
Public Car of the Year Award: Lexus GSF
Jury Car of the Year Award: Audi R8 V10
Significance of the MECOTY Awards
The MECOTY Awards is one of the most credible recognition programs in the Middle East that acknowledges the contributions of global car brands towards the progress of the regional automotive industry. It is a very significant event as it recognizes the best cars of the year and encourages the global car brands to keep launching their best vehicles in the Middle East. This award event also helps customers in the Middle East to understand and learn about the best cars available in the regional car markets so that they can buy cars which have advanced features and deliver efficient performance.
How can you as a Motorist in the UAE can use this Information?
Regardless of the category of the vehicle which you have an interest in, the vehicles which managed to win an award did so by being the best in their respective category. Being best meant that they had to outperform not only their predecessors but also the competition from 2016. If you are planning on buying a car, SUV or truck, then these award winning vehicles should be at the top of your priority list of vehicles to buy.
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