The fresh and feisty Volvo XC40 emerged victorious in the recently held Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) Awards 2018-2019. Held at the Tokyo International Exchange Centre, the votes from 60 jurors were decided in real time, in front of a crowd of Japan’s top publications and automotive executives.
After a neck-and-neck battle with the Toyota Corolla, the Volvo XC40 has successfully overtaken the competition 49 votes more, speeding away with a total of 363 votes and clinching the title.
The Volvo XC60 also won the same award last year, making it the second time for an importer in Japan to win the prestigious prize. It is rare to have a non-Japanese car win in the JCOTY and Volvo securing back-to-back wins is certainly a nod to the Swedish carmaker’s attention to quality and excellent automotive engineering.
“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. The XC40 is the perfect size and competitively priced for the Japanese market so we hope to transfer this award into solid sales,” says Volvo Japan CEO Takayuki Kimura.
The XC40 completes Volvo’s premium line-up of SUVs, adding to the Volvo XC60 and XC90. Design-wise, the XC40 is more of a cousin than a sibling to the larger 90 and 60 Series cars, with its own personality, expression and character. The XC40 is defined by a strong graphical design, a real feeling of strength and quality and a more playful nature in terms of colors and materials.
The XC40 is the first car based on the new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), an advanced vehicle platform that will underpin all other upcoming Volvos in the 40 Series. It is now available in the Philippines in 2.0L petrol, turbocharged engine with a four-cylinder Drive-E powertrain spewing 247hp and 350Nm of torque. It comes with an All-Wheel Drive, 8-speed Geartronic™ automatic transmission.
The XC40 is also the first Volvo to win the prestigious European Car of the Year award.