Hyundai Ioniq 5 wins Japan Import Car of the Year award

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a well-decorated vehicle across the world, now winning the Import Car of the Year award in Japan. PHOTO FROM HYUNDAI

If you’ve been fortunate enough to visit Japan recently, you might have noticed that there are barely any Korean cars on the road for obvious reasons.

But that didn’t stop the Hyundai Ioniq 5 from winning yet another award, specifically the 2022/2023 Japan Import Car of the Year, adding it to its long list of accolades.

The Ioniq 5 succeeds the Volkswagen Golf MkVIII (2021-2022), the Peugeot 208 (2020-2021), and the G20 BMW 3-Series (2019-2020) as Japan’s Import Car of the Year. The vehicle was up against some heavy hitters such as the BMW iX, the Range Rover, and the Renault Arkana. Despite this, the jury praised the Ioniq 5 for its exterior and interior design, range, vehicle-to-load function, and various driver-assistance features.

The other awardees are below.

Japan Car of the Year and Kei Car of the Year: Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK X EV. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA AND MITSUBISHI

JAPAN CAR OF THE YEAR

Winnner: Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi Ek X EV (399 points)

Runners-up:

• Honda Civic e:HEV/Type R (320 points)
• Toyota Crown (236 points)
• Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv D (141 points)

KEI CAR OF THE YEAR: Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi eK X EV

Japan Design Car of the Year: BMW iX. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

DESIGN CAR OF THE YEAR: BMW iX

Japan Technology Car of the Year: Nissan X-Trail. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

TECHNOLOGY CAR OF THE YEAR: Nissan X-Trail

Japan Performance Car of the Year: Honda Civic e:HEV/Type R. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR: Honda Civic e:HEV/Type R