The all-new Toyota Prius won the 2023-2024 Japan Car of the Year (COTY) award as it garnered the most votes from the organization’s committee. The Prius bested 10 other cars included in the latest Japan COTY finalist.
The Toyota Prius polled 360 votes, way ahead of its closest rival which is the BMX X1. The said German vehicle finished in second place with 150 votes, allowing it to secure the Import Car of the Year trophy. Completing the top three finishers is the Honda ZR-V with 100 votes.
Toyota Prius chief engineer Satoki Oya shared that the all-new model “was a case of extremes” as the Prius’ developmental team didn’t give up on the nameplate. This is due to the reason that former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda recommended that the Prius, a game-changing petrol-hybrid first introduced in 1997, had run its course and should be retired and relegated to taxi status.
However, product planners and engineers believed that the Prius could still live on. As such, the team redesigned the exterior and rethought the powertrain. The next-generation Prius now rides on a new platform, which is the new Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) that promises to give a stable ride as well as responsive driving characteristics. This is mainly thanks to the said platform’s low center of gravity. Toyota said that it is also more rigid compared to the previous-gen model.
The Japan COTY is now in its 44th year, and it is organized and run by representatives from 39 of the country’s most influential automotive and lifestyle publications who select the 60 jurors each year.
In the first round of voting in early November, jurors selected the “10 Best” cars for 2023. This includes the following: Toyota Prius, Toyota Alphard, Nissan Serena, Honda ZR-V, Subaru Crosstrek, Mitsubishi Delica Mini, Abarth 500e, BMW X1, Maserati Grecale, and Volkswagen ID.4.
The jurors test drove the 10 finalists at the Sodegaura Forest Raceway near Tokyo before voting for the winners.
Here’s the vote breakdown of the 10 vehicles:
- Toyota Prius: 360 points
- BMW X1: 150 points
- Honda ZR-V: 100 points
- Toyota Alphard/Vellfire: 90 points
- Nissan Serena: 60 points
- Mitsubishi Delica Mini: 60 points
- Subaru Crosstrek: 56 points
- Abarth 500e: 42 points
- Volkswagen ID.4: 24 points
- Maserati Grecale: 18 points
In the special awards categories, the 660cc Mitsubishi Delica Mini kei-car won the Design Car of the Year trophy while the Nissan Serena took home the Technology Car of the Year award for its new e-Power system employing a 3-cylinder 1.4L hybrid and Pro-Pilot 2.0 driver assist system.
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