The winners of the Car of the Year in Japan competition have been announced. The winners were selected from among 31 models, with details announced on the competition website, which is judged by Japanese automotive journalists.
The best car of the year in Japan is the Honda Freed minivan. The jury appreciated the spacious interior and the good handling of the car. The family model collected 220 points in the vote and surpassed the crossover Mazda CX-80 (196 points) and the new MINI Cooper (172). Here is the full list:
Honda Freed - 220 points.
Mazda CX-80 - 196 points.
MINI Cooper - 172 points.
Suzuki Fronx - 110 points.
Lexus LBX - 70 points.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N - 52 points.
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 250 - 44 points.
BYD Seal - 32 points.
Volvo EX30 - 30 points.
Mitsubishi L200 - 18 points.
In addition, winners were announced in several subcategories. The MINI Cooper was the best imported car, the hydrogen Honda CR-V e:FCEV was named the most technological model, and the Mitsubishi L200 pickup received the design award.
The "Car of the Year in Japan" exists since 1980. The best cars of the year are determined by a jury of Japanese automotive journalists. Last year's winner was the Toyota Prius hybrid.