Toyota iQ wins Japanese Car of the Year

It may be little, but Toyota's iQ seems to have made a big impact on those voting for Japan's Car of the Year awards. In fact, the final tally wasn't even close, as the diminutive iQ managed to score a perfect ten from 39 of the 65 jurors, earning a total of 526 votes. That total bests the second place finisher, the Citroën C5, by over 300 votes. Somewhat surprisingly, the mighty Nissan GT-R only snagged the bronze, despite its world-beating performance and attractive price point. It just goes to show you that the world's priorities have shifted from outright performance to clever design and fuel efficiency.

Toyota's closest competitor for microcar supremecy is the smart fortwo. That car only seats two while the iQ manages to double that seating capacity by use of an extremely well thought-out design. Rumors has it that the Japanese COTY will come to America wearing a Scion badge and will spawn a number of unique variants. Now that's something to look forward to.

[Source: Inside Line]