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New Subaru Impreza Defeats Toyota Prius for Japan Car of the Year

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The new Subaru Impreza was recently named the 2016-2017 Japan Car of the Year

The new Subaru Impreza is the first car in Japan to offer a pedestrian airbag system

The 2017 Subaru Impreza recently beat out the Toyota Prius to earn the 2016-2017 Japan Car of the Year Award, which is the most significant automotive accolade given each year in the country.

This award is voted on by a panel of 59 jurors, consisting of journalists, racecar drivers, automotive experts, TV hosts, and radio personalities. Each juror begins with 25 votes which they must divvy up between five cars, with their top choice receiving ten votes. The votes were then read out loud in front of the approximately 200 people attending the award ceremony inside Tokyo’s International Exchange Center on Tokyo Bay.

In the end, the new 2017 Subaru Impreza earned the most votes overall with 420. It was followed closely by the new Toyota Prius, which picked up 371 votes. Coming in a distant third was the newest Audi A4 sedan with 149 votes. The Audi A4 edged out the Volvo XC90 to win the Japan Import Car of the Year Award by four votes.

Factors such as its affordable price tag, strong performance, and innovative safety technology were all cited by journalists as reasons why the new Impreza was voted as the Japan Car of the Year. In addition, the 2017 Impreza is the first model to use Subaru’s new global platform. This equipment will be used in nearly all forthcoming Subaru cars and SUVs.

The last time that Subaru won the Japan Car of the Year Award was back in 2003 when the Legacy sedan earned the prestigious trophy.

“It is a great honor that the Impreza has been recognized with this distinctive award,” said Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, president and CEO of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. “I would like to thank our customers, suppliers and shareholders for their continued support for Subaru and I am grateful to all those who contributed to this achievement. We will continue to enhance our efforts to offer an ‘enjoyment and peace of mind’ driving experience to all customers.”

Gallery: 2017 Subaru Impreza Photos

News Source: Forbes