In the automotive landscape of Japan today, a remarkable event unfolded as the down-to-earth Honda Freed family-oriented minivan emerged victorious, pipping the sleek Mazda CX-80 at the post to claim the highly coveted Japan Car of the Year award. This marks the first time in 14 years that the Honda has achieved such a feat, polling an impressive 220 votes and leaving the fast-finishing Mazda CX-80 SUV trailing with 196 votes. In third place was the Mini Cooper, which garnered 172 votes, securing it the title of Top Polling Foreign-Produced Car and the Import Car of the Year trophy.

Honda's Freed Shines as Japan's Car of the Year

The Significance of the Honda Freed's Victory

Celebrating its 45th anniversary, the Japan Car of the Year organization gathered at Bosch's new Japan headquarters in Yokohama City. A total of 59 jurors, representatives from 41 of the country's most influential automotive and lifestyle publications, along with dozens of car industry executives, came together to witness the vote-counting and prize-giving ceremony for this year's awards. In the first round of voting staged in November, these jurors selected their 10 best cars of the year. With a total of 16 votes at their disposal, they were required to award 10 votes to their favorite car from the original 10 best cars. Additionally, they had to allocate 4 votes to their second favorite and 2 votes to their third favorite car. The tallied votes then determined the winners.The chief engineer of the Freed, Satoru Azumi, expressed his delight upon receiving the trophy. He stated, "When designing the Freed, we focused on the fundamentals and set a new benchmark for family minivans. It offers class-leading comfort, usability, and packaging, along with the unique option of Honda's hybrid system and a very reasonable price tag."

The Mazda CX-80's Close Contest

Pre-award ceremony conjecture centered around an anticipated battle between the popular Honda Freed minivan and the aesthetically pleasing Mazda CX-80. When the final votes were counted, the Freed emerged victorious by a handy 24-vote margin. This close contest showcased the intense competition among these two prominent vehicles.

The Mitsubishi Triton's Surprise Win

In another surprising turn of events, the edgy Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck won the Design Award with 11 votes, just one vote ahead of the sleek electric BYD Seal sedan. This victory demonstrated the unique appeal and design prowess of the Triton in the highly competitive automotive market.

The BMW and Mini Cooper's Success

BMW picked up its second straight Import Car of the Year trophy with the Mini Cooper, securing its place among the top imports. This achievement highlights BMW's continued excellence in the import car category.

The Honda CR-V e:FCEV's Technological Advance

The Honda CR-V e:FCEV captured the Technology Award for its hydrogen-powered fuel cell development. This innovation allows the car to run on hydrogen or electric power only, showcasing Honda's commitment to technological advancement in the automotive industry.In addition to the six Japanese cars that finished in the 10Best finalist list, it was notable that a Korean car had made the cut for the second time and a Chinese vehicle had landed in the top 10 for the first time. Both were pure electric vehicles, further demonstrating the growing influence of these markets in the Japanese automotive scene. The 10Best cars for 2024-2025 finished in the following order: Honda Freed (220), Mazda CX-80 (196), Mini Cooper (172), Suzuki Front (110), Lexus LBX (70), Hyundai IONIQ 5 N (52), Toyota Land Cruiser (44), BYD Seal (32), Volvo EX30 (30), and Mitsubishi Triton (18).