The results of this year’s Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) voting are in, and—once again—Volvo finds itself a cut above the rest of the competition.
Volvo’s XC40 has been named the 2018 JCOTY after narrowly edging out the all-new Toyota Corolla. The Swedish carmaker’s compact SUV garnered 363 votes against the Corolla’s 314 votes. This is the second time the manufacturer has won the JCOTY award, with the XC60 driving home with the honor in 2017.
“After the XC60 won last year, we are ecstatic with this back-to-back victory and I’d firstly like to thank our nationwide staff for this award,” Volvo Japan CEO Takayuki Kimura said in a statement.
“The XC40 is the perfect size and competitively priced for the Japanese market so we hope to transfer this award into solid sales,” he added.
The XC40—which Volvo categorizes as a cousin to the XC60 and the XC90—is the smallest offering in the company’s premium SUV lineup, and the first car based on its new Compact Modular Architecture. Here in the Philippines, the local spec comes with all-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine capable of 247hp and 350Nm of torque.
Winning JCOTY is no joke—especially when you’re beating competition like the all-new Toyota Corolla. Do you think Volvo can keep this streak going come 2019?
