Το βραβείο του Ιαπωνικού Αυτοκινήτου της χρονιάς κατέκτησε το ολοκαίνουργιο Subaru Impreza, με το μοντέλο να κερδίζει με 420 ψήφους, αφήνοντας πίσω του τα Toyota Prius (371 ψήφοι), Audi A4 (149 ψήφοι), Volvo XC90 (145 ψήφοι), Mercedes E-Class (114 ψήφοι), Abarth 124 Spider (107 ψήφοι), Jaguar F-Pace (106 ψήφοι), Honda Freed (41 ψήφοι), Nissan Serena (11 ψήφοι) και BMW M2 (11 ψήφοι).
Αυτή είναι η δεύτερη φορά που η Subaru κατακτά το ανώτερο βραβείο του JCOTY (Japanese Car of the Year), μετά την νίκη του Legacy το 2003. To Nissan Serena πήρε το Βραβείο Καινοτομίας για το σύστημα Pro Pilot, το Daihatsu Move Canbus πήρε το Βραβείο Μικρής Κινητικότητας, το Audi A4 το Βραβείο καλύτερου εισαγόμενου αυτοκινήτου, η BMW Μ2 πήρε το Βραβείο ως το μοντέλο που παράγει τα περισσότερα συναισθήματα, ενώ ειδικό βραβείο δόθηκε στο Honda NSX λόγω του επαναστατικού V6 twin-turbo υβριδικού κινητήρα του.
[learn_more caption=”Δελτίο Τύπου”]
SUBARU IMPREZA WINS CAR OF THE YEAR JAPAN 2017
The Subaru Impreza polled strongly to pull away from the Toyota Prius to win the 2017 Car of the Year Japan award.
MacHD:Users:plyon:Library:Containers:com.apple.mail:Data:Library:Mail Downloads:B983B5BC-4F08-4A8A-9073-61E7105C73C8:IMG_8665.JPG
Subaru Impreza chief engineer Kazuhiro Abe celebrates the Impreza’s impressive victory with designers, engineers and PR communications staff.
At an award ceremony held inside the Tokyo International Exchange Center on Tokyo Bay, the Subaru Impreza polled 420 votes to triumph over the Toyota Prius by 49 votes and win the 2017 Car of the Year Japan (COTY). In a close battle for third, the Audi A4 polled 149 votes and captured the Import Car of the Year trophy, just 4 votes ahead of the strong finishing Volvo XC90.
This win gives Subaru only its second ever COTY trophy and its first in 13 years. In accepting the award, Impreza chief engineer Kazuhiro Abe said, “When we started developing the Impreza over 4 years ago, never did I imagine I’d be standing here today with such a prestigious award. This must be what it feels like to win an Olympic gold. The Impreza’s new global platform has great meaning for the company moving forward and will underpin nearly all of our cars over the next decade. On behalf of all of my R&D team, I’d like to thank the jurors for their support of this car.”
Japan’s COTY organisation is made up of 59 jurors who each start with 25 votes and must give their most highly rated vehicle 10 votes. Their remaining 15 votes are then spread across their next best 4 cars. Each juror must vote for 5 cars out of the final Top 10.
After 20 jurors’ votes had been read out, the difference between the Impreza and Prius was only 9 votes, 138 to 129 votes respectively. So a close finished was expected. However, when the 40th juror’s votes were revealed, the Impreza’s lead had jumped to 27 votes. And in the end, the Subaru breezed it in to pick up an easy victory with 420 votes to the Prius’ 371.
The Nissan Serena captured the Innovation Award for its Propilot driver-assist, hands-free sliding door technology and clever seat arrangement, while the Daihatsu Move Canbus won the Small Mobility award for its packaging. Given high marks for its performance and handling, the BMW M2 triumphed in the Emotional Award, while the Honda NSX picked up the Car of the Year Japan steering committee’s Special Award for its revolutionary V6 twin-turbo hybrid powertrain.
*For further information, access the Car or the Year Japan website: http://www.jcoty.org
All-New Subaru Impreza Wins 2016–2017 Car of the Year Japan
Tokyo, December 9, 2016 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, is pleased to announce that the all-new Subaru Impreza has been named 2016–2017 Car of the Year Japan. This is the second time Subaru has been awarded the honor, following the Legacy’s win in 2003.
Based on the Subaru Global Platform, the all-new Subaru Impreza aims to offer the utmost “Enjoyment and Peace of Mind” driving experience to all drivers and passengers, with an array of new technologies that greatly enhance all-around safety as well as dynamic and static quality feel. It is the first car ever produced by a Japanese brand to include a pedestrian protection airbag as standard*.
In about a month since its launch on October 13 in Japan, the new Impreza outsold its monthly sales target of 2,500 units by more than fourfold, with 11,050 orders. Demand from customers switching from other brands has been especially notable, representing 51% of all orders and indicating that new Impreza is attracting an ever-wider range of customers in Japan.
“It is a great honor that the Impreza has been recognized with this distinctive award,” said Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, president and CEO of FHI. “I would like to thank our customers, suppliers and shareholders for their continued support for Subaru and I am grateful to all those who contributed to this achievement. We will continue to enhance our efforts to offer an ‘enjoyment and peace of mind’ driving experience to all customers.”
2016–2017 Car of the Year Japan Awards
Passenger cars officially announced or launched in Japan between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016, with projected sales of at least 500 units are eligible. In addition to the Car of the Year Japan and Import Car of the Year prizes, awards are granted in the Innovation, Emotional, and Small Mobility categories.
[/learn_more]