Volvo XC60 is the Japanese Car of the Year - a first for Volvo

Volvo XC60 is the Japanese Car of the Year

The new Volvo XC60 has won the 2017 Japanese Car of the Year award, beating the BMW 5-Series in to second place and the Toyota Camry in to third.

The Volvo XC60 has always been a bit of a dark horse, quietly selling more in its sector in Europe than anything else.

Now, with the arrival of the new XC60, Volvo has a car which has most of what has made the XC90 so successful, but wrapped up in a more wieldy body and with styling which conspires to look both very familiar and refreshingly new at the same time.

But it’s not just European car buyers who think the XC60 is something quite special, so too do the Japanese.

In what sounds like a Eurovision Song Contest results show for cars, Volvo tell us that the new XC60 was in a head-to-head fight for Japan’s big car award, taking on the new BMW 5-Series and the Toyota Camry.

In an apparently nail-biting ceremony, the XC60 came from behind as the votes were counted to snatch the lead from the BMW and, despite its home advantage, the Toyota Camry too.

The Volvo XC60 ended up with 294 votes, 52 ahead of the 5-Series and 62 ahead of the Camry, to grab the Car of the Year title.

Volv’s CEO in Japan, Takayuki Kimura, was clearly shocked at the win. He said:

This is the first time in Japan COTY’s 38-year history that Volvo has won an award. To be honest, I would have been happy with the Import Car of the Year.
But to come away with the overall Japan Car of the Year is totally unexpected and sincerely humbling. I dedicate this award to the 100 dealers and 1400 staff across the nation.

Well done Volvo.