Honda e - First Japanese Car to win a German Car of The Year Award

Even if you are not a car person, chances are you’ve seen this cutie making the rounds on the internet. Beneath that diminutive appearance lies a substantial accolade - it is the first Japanese car to win the German Car of the Year (GCOTY) 2021 Award. Coming from the land of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen, that’s really saying something. 

The German Car of the Year (GCOTY) is paneled by a group of leading German car journalists. They assess the latest cars on the market based on their usability, driving characteristics, market relevance and level of innovation. In total, there are 5 categories in this award - Compact, Premium, Luxury, New Energy and Performance.

As a full-electric car, the Honda e beat the Volkswagen Golf and ID3, Polestar 2, and BMW Alpina B3 to claim the top honour. This award joins other prestigious titles like “Best of the Best” honours in the Red Design Awards, and the “City/Small Car of the Year” in the News International Motor Awards 2020. 

Commenting on the win, Honda Motor Europe president, Katsuhida Okada said, “For Honda e to be the first Japanese car to be awarded German COTY is a great honour and one we are incredibly proud to receive. Customer and media response to the Honda e since it was first unveiled has been overwhelmingly positive. The Honda e is a perfect example of a product with a unique design, featuring cutting-edge technology and advanced intelligent connectivity to keep owners connected with their everyday life. We are very thankful for this award.”

Unveiled earlier this year, the Honda e represents the firm’s commitment in electrifying 100% of its European mainstream offerings by 2022. Unlike most EVs that are trying to outdo each other in the pure-electric range game, the Honda e bucks the trend with a 35.5 kWh battery pack that offers up to only 220 km of range.

Honda said this is a deliberate move as research shows that the additional battery capacity goes unused during city driving, which is what most of its buyers do every day. A smaller footprint means the car is easier to maneuver around city streets while offering a peppy drive which is increasingly rare nowadays. 

The Honda e is available in 2 variants 100kW (136hp) and 113 kW (154hp), both comes with 315Nm of torque. With more twist than the Honda CR-V, the duo completes the century sprint in 9.0 seconds and 8.3 seconds respectively. 

While there are no new electrified Honda models on sale now, Honda Malaysia was among the first in Malaysia to jump on the bandwagon in the form of Honda Insight, and Honda CR-Z.