The Yamaha Ray Z has won the India Design Mark (I Mark) award by the India Design Council for the year 2014. The automatic scooter was launched in May last year.
This is Yamaha's third India Design Mark award, the first being for the YZF R15 V2.0, followed by the Ray last year. Associated with Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the India Design Council includes eminent personalities in academia, design and industry organisations. This award was introduced in our country with the help of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.
The India Design mark (I Mark) award is abreast with the standards set by Japan's Good Design Award (G Mark). Applicants of the India Design Mark (I Mark) must satisfy at least two of the three requirements – Made in India, Designed in India and Sold in India. The Yamaha Ray Z was one of the I Mark recipients and was presented with the award.
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.”
The Ray Z is based on the Ray and is designed taking cues from Yamaha's concept of an ‘Aggressive Sporty Design’. The scooter is powered by an 113cc engine that produces 7bhp of power and 8Nm of torque. The two-wheeler was introduced mainly to attract youngsters and the company has received a good response with the sales of both, the Ray and Ray Z, crossing 15,000 units by 2013 end.
