MUMBAI: With the automotive industry going through tough times, there is very little to cheer about, but BBC TopGear India did manage to bring some smiles back by rewarding some of the best cars and bikes of the year gone by in a sizzling ceremony on Saturday in Mumbai. Maruti Suzuki’s most sought after small car, Swift, won the Small car of the Year, and the award of Car of the Year 2011 was given to the fierce Audi RS5.

The Bike of the Year went to Honda CBR 250RR and the Superbike of the Year award went to BMW 1200 GS. Mahindra & Mahindra’s hot selling SUV XUV 5OO received two awards for Best Value for Money Car of the year and Reader’s Choice Car of the year. TopGear Man of the Year award went to Sameer Gaur, MD & CEO, Jaypee Sports International for successfully staging the first F1 race in India.

“It’s not a conventional choice, but Top-Gear is never about conventions,” said Girish Karkera, editor, TopGear magazine India. BBC TopGear India is the Indian edition of TopGear, UK’s best-selling auto magazine. Indian TopGear Awards have been in place since 2007 and this was the first time the Award ceremony was staged which saw the who’s who of the automotive industry with Bollywood celebaraities like Kareena Kapoor, Samera Reddy and Purab Kohli giving away the awards to winners.

Instead of calling celebrities and famous people to drive about 40 cars in a single day to pass a verdict, TopGear relies on its own editorial teams who drive and spend quality time with cars round the year. “We are pleased to receive an award from TopGear which is not a magazine but an institution in itself and it endorses the iconic status of the Swift,” said Mayank Pareek,managing executive officer, sales & marketing, Maruti Suzuki “Every award is a validation to the fact that the direction we are heading is right and the product innovation strategy that we have put in place is correct.

One of these Awards has been given by experts which is the jury at TopGear and the other by the automobile enthusiasts who are the readers of TopGear. So it’s nice to get recognition from both,” said Vivek Nayer, SR VP marketing , automotive, Mahindra & Mahindra Commenting on the TopGear Awards, Tarun Rai CEO Worldwide Media said: “The year 2011 has been an exciting year for cars and bikes in India with over 50 launches across categories . We are happy that BBC Top-Gear magazine is the first to announce the best cars of the year. It’s a comprehensive list that includes the Most Beautiful Car and the Best Value for Money Car besides another nineteen categories. And this year we are celebrating the winners at an awards ceremony which will be as exciting as the Top Gear magazine.”

The TopGear car of the year is never about value for money or depreciation or a car that will sell by the hordes. A TopGear car is one that simply excites you and has you searching for reasons to take your car out even if you want to get nowhere, said Girish Karkera.