Yamaha wins third consecutive I Mark Award; this time for Ray Z

The stylish scooter from Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd, ‘RAY Z’ has won the prestigious India Design Mark (I Mark) award by the India Design Council. Following the last two years’ award for the YZF-R15 and Yamaha RAY, this is Yamaha’s third consecutive I Mark award.

The India Design Council is affiliated with India’s Ministry of Commerce & Industry and comprises eminent people in academia, design and industry organizations. Its India Design Mark (I Mark) awards program was initiated in cooperation with the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, and in line with the same standards set by Japan's Good Design Award (G Mark). Open application and judging for the third I Mark awards was in 2013, and in the award’s third year, 2014, the Yamaha RAY Z was one of the I Mark recipients.

Based on the concept of an ‘Aggressive Sporty Design’, the RAY Z has been developed to target young male users between 18 and 22 years of age. RAY Z comes with a sporty look and feel that includes a: 1) smoked-finish visor for a motorcycle-like image, 2) aluminium rear wing-shaped tandem rider grab-bars, 3) new instrument panel with carbon fibre-patterned background, 4) carbon fibre-patterned seat cover material, and 5) dynamic colouring and graphics.

Commenting on this achievement, Mr Masaki Asano, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd said, “Appreciation in any form is a welcome boost to a company and its products. I am very pleased to receive this award for the third time in a row. Our scooter RAY-Z has indeed been received very positively and we thank our designing and engineering team for creating a product which met our customer needs and fitted the Indian market so well. This award not just realizes our efforts but also motivates us to continue creating new, innovative and enriching products.”

Commenting further on the win, Mr. Roy Kurian, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd said, “We entered the Indian scooter category in 2012, beginning with the RAY, designed for young women, which was followed by RAY Z in 2013, targeted at young men. The response that we have been receiving for RAY and Ray Z are indeed most positive and encouraging. Both sold approximately 150,000 units by end 2013, thanks to the stylish design and ease of use. We understand the needs of our customers and therefore pay great attention to details in our products in terms of styling and design.”

India Design Mark (I Mark):

India design mark is a design standard, a symbol, which recognizes good design. India design council grants India design mark after evaluating good design through a systemized process.

India Design Mark is initiated in cooperation with Good Design Award, Japan. Through India Design Mark, the India Design Council seeks to inspire Indian manufacturers to bring to market well designed products that enrich the lives of people.