Nissan won Car of the Year Japan for 2011-2012 at the Tokyo Motor Show on Saturday for its Leaf electric car, the executive committee for the award announced at the show.
This is the 32nd year that the Car of the Year Japan awards has been held, and it is the first time in its long history that an electric car has won this prestigious award.
The award committee, which is made up of about 60 motor experts from motor magazines and media organizations, said the Leaf was extremely practical and had helped popularize electric vehicles.
Nissan Leaf also won the 2011-2012 Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (JAHFA) Car of the Year and 2011-2012 JAHFA Car Design of the Year awards.
Since its launch on the market at the end of last year, some 20,000 units have been sold, notably in Japan and in the US.
The motor experts also selected Mercedes-Benz Japan Co.’s C-class sedan/station wagon as the Import Car of the Year.
Electric cars with cutting-edge green technology and vehicles remote-controlled by smartphones have been a star feature at this year’s show, which runs till December 11 and features 179 exhibitors from a dozen countries.
