In this, its 25th anniversary, the Car of the Year Executive Committee has yet again bestowed the COTY honor upon Honda and its break through Legend.
No stranger to the award, Honda has also previously received top ranking in 1983 (Civic), 1985 (Accord), 1991 (Civic), 1993 (Accord), 1995 (Civic), 2000 (Civic), 2001 (Fit), and 2002 (Accord).
This 9th crowning puts the firm comfortably ahead of sales juggernaut Toyota, as well as enthusiast favourites Nissan & Mazda.

There were a total of 1475 points. Results are as follows:

1. Honda Legend 425

2. VW Golf/Golf Touran 247

3. Nissan Fuga 246

4. BMW 1-Series 163

5. Toyota Crown/Crown Majesta 149

6. Opel (Vauxhaul) Astra 93

7. Audi A6 76

8. Volvo S40/V50 40

9. Subaru R2 34

10. Mazda Verisa 2

CAR OF THE YEAR JAPAN SELECTION PROCESS AND RULES

[TITLE]
The award shall be referred to as the CAR OF THE YEAR JAPAN.

[PURPOSE]
The title of Car of the Year Japan (COTY) shall be bestowed upon the most outstanding vehicle selected from all production vehicles launched into the Japanese domestic market over a one year period. In the process of presenting this award, the manufacturer and designer(s) of said vehicle shall be duly honored.

[BASIC PHILOSOPHY]
- COTY is not conceived as an award for any one individual, corporation or organization, but rather for all those who possess an interest in the motor vehicle.

- Selection of the COTY award is not to be swayed by any one car manufacturer, or by the policies of any specific media organization or the merits or demerits of either.

- The COTY shall be awarded to ONE vehicle only each year.

[SPONSOR]
The JCOTY is sponsored and run by the COTY Executive Committee.

[EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE]
1. An Executive Committee shall be appointed to manage and run the Car of the Year Japan award.

2. Composition of Executive Committee The Executive Committee shall be composed of representatives from automotive publications and magazines, newspapers and broadcasters who, a) agree to the contents of the above-mentioned Purpose and Basic Philosophy and who, b) regularly cover car-related topics. Media representatives who comprise the Executive Committee will cover all operational expenses stipulated by the said Committee.

The Executive Committee has the decision-making authority in respect to the following articles.
1. To revise operational regulations.
2. To select COTY jurors (selection committee members) and entrust the selection process to them.
3. To nominate appropriate vehicles for the selection process.
4. When required, to establish sub-committees to deal with any special issues which may arise.
5. To reprimand, and if necessary, dismiss Executive Committee members or COTY jurors who, through their actions, dishonor the organization.
6. Executive Committee members do not have voting privileges.

[DIRECTORS]
The Executive Committee shall appoint the posts of Executive Committee chairman, vice-chairman, senior committee member, senior advisor and executive secretary. These postings shall be selected by the Executive Committee from amongst said Committee members and shall be valid for a period of one year. The chairman may hold his post for a period up to, but not exceeding 5 years.

[SECRETARIAT]
The executive secretary shall attend to his duties at the Secretariat office to be located in Tokyo. The executive secretary may employ assistants to manage public relations, accounting duties and a COTY internet homepage.

[COTY JURORS]
Every April, each executive committee member (30) nominates one juror who automatically regains his position on the selection panel. The remaining positions (juror upper limit is 60 jurors) are then voted on by the committee where by a nominee must then be approved by a 2/3 majority of the committee. Once selected, each juror is entrusted to select and vote on the nominated vehicles. Jurors are not paid for their services and their position as a juror is re-evaluated every year. Through their work over a one year period, jurors are frequently given access to new vehicles and are required to form their own opinions regarding said vehicles. Should a juror be employed in any way by a car manufacturer or automobile related organization, he or she must resign their position immediately.

[SELECTION REGULATIONS]
Eligible vehicles

1. Eligible vehicles shall be all production vehicles launched in Japan between November 1 of the previous year and October 31 of the current year. In addition, vehicles must meet the following conditions.
1-1. After its debut, a vehicle must be continually produced over a one-year period where its sales volume exceeds 500 units annually.
1-2. To enable jurors to develop a complete impression of each vehicle, jurors must be given sufficient access to new cars in the form of test drives, and must receive relevant product information. 1-3. Customers in Japan must be able to purchase the said vehicle up until early December.

2. For vehicles to be considered eligible, they must meet at least one of the following conditions.
2-1. The car should be based on a new concept.
2-2. The car must employ new technology.
2-3. The car must employ either a new body, engine, drivetrain or suspension system.

3. Eligible vehicles shall be distinguished in terms of their basic construction. For example, a new engine or new body style.
3-1. Cars should not be classified in terms of their differences in grades or appointments.
3-2. Should a vehicleÕs name be different to its showroom sales name, the committee shall meet to discuss the validity of this vehicleÕs inclusion.
3-3. Cars which have been derived from current models, and employ only minor modifications, shall not be eligible.

In line with the above-mentioned conditions for eligible vehicles, it is the executive committee who makes the final decision on vehicle eligibility.

[SELECTION PROCESS]
Jurors select vehicles after evaluating each in terms of concept, design, performance, quality, environmental aspects and cost performance.

[SELECTION METHOD]
The selection process is split into two stages: the First Ballot to nominate 10 finalists, and the Final Ballot to select the COTY winner and other special awards. Votes are cast with the name of each juror appearing on his or her ballot slip and these results are made public.

[FIRST BALLOT - SELECTION OF 10 FINALISTS]
Chosen from a list containing all eligible vehicles, jurors select their ten best cars and explain their reasoning for each selection. These 10 cars become the COTY finalists. Should a car receive the same numbers of points as the 10th place finalist, then it too shall be included as a finalist.
All 10 finalists have the same chance of winning.
Nominations must be completed by mid-November each year and made public.

[FINAL BALLOT - SELECTION OF COTY]
Each juror is allocated 25 points which they must distribute between 5 vehicles. The car he or she deems as best car must be allocated 10 points and only one car can receive the maximum of 10 points. The remaining 15 points are allocated among 4 other cars and points given must be whole numbers. Should two cars finish on top with the same number of points then a second one vote only ballot is cast to decide the winner.
The final vote must be cast by the end of November each year and this decision must be made public.

[CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS]
CAR OF THE YEAR JAPAN
The vehicle acquiring the highest number of votes in the Final Ballot shall be awarded the ÒCar of the Year JapanÓ title and trophy, in addition to the honour associated with said award.

IMPORT CAR OF THE YEAR
Should a Japanese domestic vehicle be selected as Car of the Year, then an ÒImport Car of the YearÓ award shall be awarded. The title of Import Car of the Year shall be awarded on the imported vehicle which gained the highest number of votes in the Final Ballot, and the trophy and honour associated with this prize shall be duly bestowed.

10 BEST CARS
The 10 finalists selected in the First Ballot shall be awarded the title of Ò10 Best Car,Ó and shall receive a trophy and the honour associated with said award.

[SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS]
In addition to the main COTY award, and the Import Car of Year award (if bestowed), three additional Special COTY Achievement Awards shall be presented to vehicles which made a notable impact on the industry.

Eligible candidates shall be selected from those vehicles launched onto the market in Japan between November 1 of the previous year, to October 31 of the current year.

The THREE awards are as follows:
- Most Advanced Technology
- Most Fun
- *Best Value (*to be changed)

When jurors vote in the Final Ballot and list the reasons for their choice, they can also vote for the three special achievement awards mentioned above.
Should a juror deem that no vehicle is worthy of a particular Special Achievement Award, then he or she may leave their ballot for that award blank. Each juror may allocate one vote for each Special Award. To win, a vehicle must receive votes from at least 1/3 of the total number of jurors, otherwise the award is not presented for that year. Announcement of Special Awards is carried out on the Final Ballot day.

Rights and Obligations of Winners

Manufacturers who win the main COTY award, the Import Car of the Year award, a 10 Best Car award or a Special Achievement Award have the right to use those award titles in advertisements and published materials. However, they must abide to the following obligations when using these titles at home and abroad.

1. The correct (full) name and year must be presented with the title.
2. Should a manufacturer wish to use a juror's name or comment, the manufacturer must first receive permission from the Executive Committee, and the contents of that comment must be correctly relayed.

~~~~~[/end QUOTE]~~~~~

Quote »

I think it's awesome that [Toyota] still uses the [Crown] name in Japan.

After all these decades.

Quote »

I think it's [sad] that [Nissan] [no longer] uses the [Cedric/Gloria] name in Japan. []

After all these decades.

I want one soooo bad

Can't wait to see some modded ones.

I got to drive one at night the other day, and the HIDs blow away the ones in my Touareg. They have an excellent pattern and the adaptive cornering feature works quite well (better than you would think it would). I was very impressed by the car as a whole. Just wish the package was in a TL body

Quote, originally posted by _RevLimit_ »

I miss my gti
http://www.wretch.cc/album/alb...ook=8

http://drive.to/eurolized

I AM GAY i mean i am happy

And prof, guess what... the S2000's HIDs are just as good as the RL's. and the s2000 corners so fast no adaptive lights can keep up.

Modified by WRS2K at 4:34 PM 11-12-2004

Quote, originally posted by _RevLimit_ »

[img]

-Rick

What God has united, let men not divide.

Good for VW with the Touran.

About the RL/Legend, while the SHAWD seems neat, the looks are crappy IMO. The TL looks to much more better

"Not another brick in the wall... " - Pink Floyd

many would say that the 1 series and the Touran and whatever else looks crappy. This award is not about looks....and, even still, its all in the eyes of the beholder.

You are quite right about the looks. Looks are always subjective and hence if you notice my comment it said

"....About the RL/Legend, while the SHAWD seems neat, the looks are crappy IMO. The TL looks to much more better..."

"Not another brick in the wall... " - Pink Floyd

sorry, my response wasn't solely to you (i saw your opinion) but to others that are likely to come in and say the same thing, etc. You know how it goes...and then the thread goes in the garbage.

Quote, originally posted by askibum02 »

This list is just another fine example of how the NA gets royally screwed when it comes to Import Cars. How many cars on that list have we/will we actually see?

surprisingly, around half, in one way or another. Will we ever see the technology offered by cars like the RL or Fuga? Probalby not for a while yet.

That is the key phrase. Even if we get it, it will most likely be watered down to a huge degree. Case in point, with just using VW as an example, how many different engines, and other options, in the MKIV alone did we not get?

No worries...

"Not another brick in the wall... " - Pink Floyd