|
The
revolutionary Toyota iQ, the world’s smallest four-seater
passenger car, has won the 2008 Japan Car of the Year award by a
landslide over rivals such as the Citroën C5, Audi A4 and Jaguar
XF. The innovative iQ scored more than double the points of the
second placed, receiving top marks from 39 of the 65 jurors who
voted.
The judges
praised the iQ for its space efficiency and design, particularly
the iQ’s capacity for seating four people within a body less
than three metres long, as well as its combination of high
levels of safety and low CO2 emissions.
But this
incredible result will not be repeated in the 2008 European Car
of the Year.
The reason is
that sales in Europe do not start until January 2009, past the
cut-off for the European COTY for this year.
Both Japanese
and European COTY competitions are run in similar ways with a
wide selection of new cars appraised and voted on by motoring
journalists. In Japan COTY each of the 65 jurors has 25 points,
of which 10 have to be given to one car, and the remaining 15
points allocated to four other cars.
Results of
Japan Car of the Year 2008
|
1. |
Toyota iQ |
526
points |
|
2. |
Citroën C5 |
223 points |
|
3. |
Nissan GT-R |
201 points |
|
4. |
Audi A4/A4 Avant |
180 points |
|
5. |
Jaguar XF |
115 points |
|
6. |
Daihatsu Tanto |
100 points |
|
7. |
Fiat 500 |
90 points |
|
8. |
Honda Freed |
62 points |
|
9. |
Mazda Atenza |
60 points |
|
10. |
Suzuki Wagon R/Wagon R Stingray |
37 points |
|
11 |
Subaru Exiga |
31 points |
The new
Toyota iQ goes on sale in the UK from January 2009 with prices
starting from £9,495. |
