Toyota RAV4 is hailed Japan’s Car of the Year for 2019

MANILA: Japan’s top automotive journalists came together this year for the Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) awards. Already on its 40th year, the organization held the ceremony at the Tokyo International Exchange Center in Tokyo Bay to reveal their selection for this year’s awards. 60 jurors, with 40 coming from the country’s most influential automotive publications, plus a number of OEM executives attended the vote-counting and awarding.

This year, the fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 won the top prize of Car of the Year, with the Mazda3 following at second place. According to those present, many were already betting between the RAV4 and the Mazda3 as contenders for the prize. However, during the vote-counting it was evident that the Toyota RAV4 was more in favour, winning with a tally of 436 votes. This is Toyota’s first time to again receive the award since the Toyota Prius’ win back in 2009-2010.

According to the JCOTY selection committee, the Toyota RAV4 “responded to all needs at the highest level.” All three all-wheel-drive variations offered by the RAV 4 were excellent. They also took notice of Toyota’s new platform,

the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), and said that the advantages make the whole experience both enjoyable and comfortable. The committee also gave high ratings to the vehicle’s pricing, luggage space, and the Japan-exclusive data communication module.

The Mazda3 came in second with 328 votes. The BMW 3-Series came in third with 290 votes and also received the award for Import Car of the Year. The Toyota Corolla came in fourth with 118 votes, the Jaguar I-Pace in 5th with 109 votes, and the Jeep Wrangler — Fiat Chrysler’s best-selling model in Japan — pulling in 56 votes.

Other awards were also handed out throughout the evening. The Jeep Wrangler received the Emotional Award for its on- and off-road capabilities.The Nissan Skyline’s ProPilot 2.0 “hands-off” semi-autonomous driving system was given recognition with the Innovation Award. The Mitsubishi eK Cross and Nissan Dayz also shared the stage for the Small Mobility prize.

Last year’s top JCOTY award was given to the Volvo XC60.

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