Prius is crowned!

It already takes nine months to get hold of a Toyota Prius in Japan. But waiting lists are set to grow even longer after the hybrid was named the country’s Car of the Year at the Tokyo Motor Show.

In one of the closest finishes ever seen in the awards’ 30-year history, the Prius narrowly defeated its Honda Insight rival to claim the overall trophy.

In the end, the Toyota edged the victory by 433 votes to 391 – as 61 jurors and more than 100 manufacturer representatives stood glued to a score screen at the press centre inside the Makuhari Messe show venue.

It’s no real surprise that the Prius did so well. Since the fourth generation was launched in May, 20,000 have found homes – it currently accounts for one in every 10 cars sold in Japan.

But it wasn’t all about hybrids and Japan-made models – the VW Golf MkVI, which collected 186 votes, finished third overall and was crowned Import Car of the Year.

In fourth was Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric city car, ahead of Mercedes’ latest E-Class. The i-MiEV also picked up the special award for Most Advanced Technology. This is because it’s the first real-world electric vehicle to use lithium-ion batteries.

Nissan’s 370Z collected the prize for Most Fun thanks to its clever synchro-rev transmission, which blips the throttle with every downchange. The Best Value award went to the new Subaru Legacy.

The ceremony marked three decades since Japan’s Car of the Year organisation was founded, and a special vote selected the top model from winners of the 20th to 29th editions. Honda’s original Jazz won this Best Third Decade Car award.