Jaguar F-Type won the ‘Car of the Year’ award at the Middle East Motor Awards held in Sharjah recently.

The winners of the 19 categories for the awards were announced at the event held at the Al Majaz Waterfront, which was attended by top executives from the auto industry and auto enthusiasts.

McLaren 12C Spider was adjudged the ‘Best Supercar,’ while the ‘Best Premium Luxury Convertible’ was the Bentley Continental GT Speed and Maserati Gran Turismo was named the ‘Best Premium Sports Coupe.’

“We had one of the most exhaustive line-up of categories, entries from world’s top automakers and distributors, and 18 jury members who are well-known names in the industry,” said Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, chief executive officer, Expo Centre Sharjah.

Porsche Middle East and Africa drove away with two awards again this year – Cayman S the ‘Best Sports Coupe’ and Cayenne the ‘Best Performance SUV’.

“Last year, we took home two prestigious Middle East Motor Awards. This year, four of our models were short-listed, out of which two have won,” said Christer Ekberg, managing director of Porsche Middle East and Africa.

Other winners include Best Small Sedan - Peugeot 301; Best Mid Size Sedan- Honda Accord; Best Large Sedan - Chevrolet Impala; Best Executive Sedan - Cadillac ATS; Best Luxury Sedan - Lexus 460; Best Luxury Performance Sedan - BMW M6 Gran Coupe; Best Crossover - Toyota RAV 4; Best Midsize SUV - Jeep Grand Cherokee; Best Luxury SUV - Range Rover; Best Small Hatchback - VW Golf; Best Performance Hatchback - Ford Focus ST; and Best Premium Hatchback - Mercedes A250.

“The UAE has one of the fastest growing automobile markets in the world and the Mema is considered as a great catalyst for boosting sales, with the shortlisted and winning entries helping prospective consumers check out vehicles that are best in their class and choose the right one,” added Midfa.

According to recent reports, more than 200,000 cars were sold by the end of July in the UAE and the figure is expected to cross 355,000 by the year-end, compared to 310,300 units sold in 2012.

All the winning and shortlisted cars are on were on display at the venue till November 1. - TradeArabia News Service