Volvo XC40 Voted JCOTY 2018

ABU DHABI: Volvo has won the 2018 Japan Car of the Year(JCOTY) award, in its first-ever back-to-back victory for an importer in the Far East country,. The Swedish automaker won the same title in 2017 for the XC60.

The awards ceremony, held at the Tokyo International Exchange Center on 10 December, was judged by a panel of 60 jurors from Japan’s leading automobile publications. The vote counting and the prize distribution ceremony were attended by top executives from automobile manufacturing companies in Japan and beyond.

The Volvo XC40 has been one of the most anticipated cars this year in the Japanese automobile market with the waiting period stretching to 12 months earlier this year. The car has been hailed by automobile experts for its design, practicality, performance, and advanced safety features. The XC40 is mounted on Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, a technology co-developed with Chinese multinational automobile manufacturing company Geely. The car, however, is no stranger in bagging a COTY award. It was judged the 2018 European COTY.

The main battle for the Japanese COTY award was between the Volvo XC40 and the Toyota Corolla Sport. The Swedish vehicle stole a mile over its Japanese competitor with an early lead. But then Corolla came back midway through the counting and briefly overtook the XC40. The latter then accelerated to the finish and won by a 49-point margin. While the XC40’s final tally was 363 points, the Corolla Sport came runners-up with 314.

The third position was sealed by Volkswagen Polo which bagged 197 points. Toyota’s other member in the Japanese COTY—Crown—managed to win the fourth place with 170 points, while the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross finished fifth at 165 points.

The best innovation award in the special category was won by the Honda Clarity PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle). German automobile giant BMW won the emotional award with its 3705lbs crossover vehicle X2, while the retro-styled Daihatsu Tocot mini passenger vehicle bagged the small mobility gong.

The COTY steering committee gave a special achievement award to Toyota’s Gazoo Racing (GR) team, courtesy its achievements at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Rally Championships. The committee also presented a similar award to the Honda N-Van.