History was made at the carandbike awards in March 2021. The result for the carandbike Two Wheeler of the Year saw the closest win margin we had ever had in our 16-year awards history. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 won, but the first-runner up Ather 450X was a very close second. So close in fact, that only 0.25 points separated the two. I recall being almost in shock when I opened up the envelope on stage, with the result of the secret ballot. That moment stayed with me - and which is why we decided to do something else that may be deemed historic - at least for us. We took a call to present Ather with a much deserved first-runner up trophy for the 2021 carandbike Two Wheeler of the Year! That margin to our minds, did not really qualify as a defeat. Incidentally, the third placed KTM 390 Adventure was a further 2.02 points behind the Ather 450X, so our top three did see a very tight contest overall, as it turned out. The EV had done well to already snag the Scooter of the Year earlier in the ceremony, and also the highly coveted CNB Viewers' Choice Scooter of the Year. That it came so close to taking the other big prize of the day demanded some recognition, we felt.
Also Read: Ather 450X Crowned Scooter Of The Year At 2021 CNB Awards
So in early April, we had our vendor prepare the trophy, and called on Ather Energy co-founder and CEO Tarun Mehta - who happened to be in Delhi for a company event. He graciously accepted the trophy, saying, "Thanks for considering us, and thank you for this recognition. Pretty big deal for a new company to get nominated, and be considered. I also know this is the first time this is happening for electric in India. So thank you for making this happen." You can see more of that quick handover here in this video.
The reason we had to do it quickly and without much fanfare, was due to the obvious need of the hour - covid protocols - that we simply had to be extra mindful of. So even though I shook hands with Tarun, I quickly insisted he and I sanitise right after! In fact I had even brought the trophy over having sprayed it and also the box it was in, with germ killing sanitising spray!
Also Read: Ather 450X Is The EV Two-Wheeler Of The Year At 2021 CNB Awards
(The Ather 450X has been one of the most impressive EVs we have ridden till date)
The Ather 450X has been impressing us since it first arrived on the scene. The scooter offers plenty of great performance, good ergonomics, an attractive interface, user friendly tech - and ease of use. These and its very very good looking design, were some of the reasons our jury was bowled over by it at our Two Wheeler Jury Meet held at the Buddh International Circuit. The jury comprised Dr V Sumantran, Rayomand Banajee, Rishad Cooper, Gul Panag, Preetam Bora and me. Details of our jury and the winners of all our awards categories are on carandbike.com/awards.
Also Read: Ather 450X Review
(The Ather 450X looks futuristic and boasts of excellent build quality)
Our process follows a comprehensive scoring methodology that sees products first compete within their own segment. And then segment winners go on to have the chance to win Two Wheeler of the Year. The voting is secret, and all products are scored individually across 9 parameters. They are: Safety, Value for Money, Environment, Significance to Segment, Emotional Appeal, Ergonomics, Technology, Performance, and Dynamics (Ride & Handling). The juror's individual scores are then collated by our tabulator Grant Thornton, who then hands us the winner envelopes at the ceremony. None of us knows the result until the envelope is opened up on stage, and the winner declared! For the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and the Ather 450X to still emerge that close - was quite unprecedented and I doubt we will ever see that happen again! So congratulations once again to Royal Enfield and Ather from all of us at carandbike.
