The Middle East Car of the Year (MECOTY) Award is one of the prestigious awards that a manufacturer can win in the region. This year it took place on 2nd April at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Various top executives of all major automotive brands from across the region and several dignitaries, including guests all the way from Japan, USA, Korea, UK, and Germany, were present at the ceremony. It was the 5th edition of the MECOTY Awards, and it concluded successfully.
There were a plethora of companies that were nominated and others which won different awards, but it was Volvo EMEA and PSA Groupe (Peugeot) which won the prestigious Jury & Public COTY awards respectively. Other top brands that also won, were announced at the marvellous gala awards night.
The MECOTY Awards follow a stringent multi-stage voting process, spanning over 10 months. A panel of 16 judges, who are handpicked to represent their respective countries, including UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan & Saudi Arabia, is responsible for selecting the winners among the nominees.
Speaking about the MECOTY Awards, Chris Probert, Marketing Communications Director, Ford Middle East & Africa, said, "Five years since their inception and the MECOTY awards continue to serve as the region's most comprehensive platform of automotive experts, and we, at Ford, are thrilled to be recognized each year. With the F-150 Raptor and the Mustang GT350 winning top spot in their respective categories, this is testament to the great legendary vehicles that we continue to bring to our customers. Both models enjoy a rich heritage and unmatched passion for performance that continue to go from strength to strength each year."
Volvo's XC60 and XC40 won at this year's award ceremony. Jesus Fernandez de Mesa, MD, Volvo Cars EMEA Importers, said, "We are delighted to receive these prestigious awards for the XC60 and XC40. The way they have been received by journalists and consumers across the region, as well as by the MECOTY jury panel, is truly encouraging for Volvo Cars as a brand. The Middle East is one of our key markets and this shows us that we are on the right track."
From Peugeot it was its latest SUV, the 3008, that was nominated. And it won the Public COTY Award with a share of 16.3% of the total 70,000+ votes. This tells so much about the brand and its seriousness towards the Middle East market. Commenting on this occasion, Cedric Zayoun, M.D., PSA Groupe GCC said, "We're very proud to have won the Public COTY 2018. People's opinions matter and this very award represents people's choice of a car that integrates safety, performance, technology and style. We stressed the importance of the GCC region amongst potential markets for Groupe PSA upon inaugurating our first regional office in Dubai last year. Ever since, we have been channelling our efforts to meet the expectations of the GCC residents. Securing the Public COTY award is another milestone in the brand's success story which underpins PEUGEOT's innovative position in the SUV segment."
Audi has been winning several awards in the past editions of the MECOTY Awards. This year it won three. Enrico Atanasio, Brand Director, Audi Middle East, said, "It was a great pleasure and honour to be recognised by the MECOTY jury with three wonderful awards for the Audi brand. The TT RS, RS 3 and the Audi S5 were all celebrated winners in their respective classes and show the success of the Audi Sport brand and our the premium performance models in the Audi range. With many more innovative new models to come this year, we are already looking forward to the next year's MECOTY awards to hopefully continue our story of success."
After the conclusion of the 2018 MECOTY Awards, Saaed Al Marzouqi, CEO, Custom Events, LLC, said, MECOTY's fifth consecutive edition is truly a milestone achievement. We congratulate all the winning manufacturers, and thank the supporting authorities, media, voters and of course, our jury members for their support.”
