Hybrid wows judges in Japan

Nissan’s Note e-Power series has been voted as the Japan Car of the Year 2021/22 after impressing judges during a special drive day on a racetrack near Tokyo.

The hybrid won the honour after receiving 335 votes, with the Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ in second place with 264 votes, and Honda’s Vezel was next on 227 votes.

The Note e-Power, pictured, was praised by the Japan Car of the Year steering committee for its “award-winning hybrid powertrain, excellent fuel economy and handling, keen pricing and stylish design”.

It is currently on sale in Japan with a 1.2-litre hybrid powertrain and Nissan says it plans to launch the e-Power drivetrain in US and European markets in the near future.

The winning series includes the Note e-Power, Note Aura, Note Aura Nismo and Note Autech Crossover.

More than 30 contenders were initially vying for the annual award, with that number whittled down to the 10 best vehicles in November.

A “10 Best” drive day was held at Sodegaura Forest raceway near Tokyo before a second round of voting to decide the winners of four categories and the overall car of the year, which was announced during an online ceremony on December 10. 

The polling saw the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV finish in fourth place with 206 votes and the Volkswagen Golf 8, pictured below, scored 168 votes to take out fifth spot, which was the highest for a foreign brand and secured it the title of Import Car of the Year 2021-2022.

The Toyota Mirai, Chevrolet’s mid-engined right-hand-drive Corvette, the Mercedes Benz C-Class, Toyota’s Land Cruiser and the BMW 4-Series completed the top 10.

In the special awards categories, the BMW 4-Series won the Design of the Year trophy, the Corvette scooped the Performance award, the Outlander PHEV picked up the Technology of the Year title and the Honda N-One topped the “K-car” (660cc) minicar category.