2022/23 Japan Car Of The Year Winners, Electrification Is The Theme Mostly

The highly prestigious Japanese, Japan Car Of The Year (JCOTY) award was established in 1980 to name the Best Cars of the Year and final winners for each category are selected after test-drives and final votes from Japan Car of the Year's Executive Committee. Vehicles that are eligible would have to be available for sale in the Japanese market between 1st November of the previous year and 31st October of the current year.

Now there are technically six categories represented in the JCOTY every year which are, Japan Car of the Year, Japan Import Car of the Year, Design Car of the Year, Technology Car of the Year, Performance Car of the Year and K CAR of the Year.

For the award year 2022/23 the winners awarded the converted 2022/23 Japan Car Of The Year award represent a wide spectrum of category and target users, however what seems to be trend this year is nearly all winners in each category has some form of electrification present onboard. Guess the future is electric and JCOTY is not discounting it.

The 2022/23 Japanese Car Of The Year was awarded jointly to Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi Ek X EV. Both Nissan and Mitsubishi were praised for adopting Japan's own mini vehicle standard and offering an EV option at a low entry point. Furthermore, these mini EV’s would provide people, especially the elderly an option to be mobile as gas stations and public transportation are expected to decline before the full-scale decarbonization era.

Both these vehicles are also tested in terms of driving performance, many commented that the handling and performance are a notch above conventional ICE powered K Car (Kei Car) with notable safety equipment such as the 360° safety assist onboard.

As for the 2022/23 Japan Import Car of the Year, the award went to the global sensation the Hyundai Ioniq 5. This pure EV is commanded for having an innovative exterior and interior design, with a highly practical driving range of 498km to 618km (WLTC mode) with plenty of power when needed. It is also given points in offering all the comfort and safety equipment necessary with a V2H and indoor/outdoor V2L party-piece. The committee also praised the vehicle’s paddle shift function that allows it to adjust the regenerative braking energy setting.

Meanwhile, the 2022/23 Design Car of the Year award went to the BMW iX. The JCOTY committee were in all awe on how the Bavarian star completely revamped its design language to usher in the new electrified era without fear in losing its strong following, bold risky move indeed but it paid off well. The committee had good comments on the vertical and almost completely enclosed BMW kidney grille plus the elegant interior, reminiscent of a lounge.

2022/23 Technology Car of the Year went to the Nissan X-Trail which is said to have done well with its 1.5-liter inline three-cylinder VC turbo variable compression ratio engine and electrical power generation via a higher output motor and e-4ORCE electric drive four-wheel control. The X-Trail is a perfect showcase of both ICE and EV working in tandem. Jurors after testing the X-Trail concluded that the Nissan brand is closely related to technological advancement in driving performance.

Now for the 2022/23 Performance Car of the Year, this was another shared award, but from the same make this time. Honda’s e:HEV, a hybrid, was chosen as a sports saloon with a modern and smart driving performance thanks to its sophisticated powertrain. While its racy brother the Type-R was considered an excellent vehicle with well designed chassis,  good performance with a well presented outlook. To add further, its VTEC turbo engine delivers a smooth driving feel making it perfect for either city driving or circuit attacks.

Wrapping the awards up would be the 2022/23 K CAR of the Year which is won by the pairing that took home the JCOTY’s Car Of The Year Award, the Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi Ek X EV. It was awarded a win here based on its being a great introductory vehicle into the EV world. Both models also offer good driving stability, quietness and a realistic driving range of 120-150km perfect for a city K-car.