Toyota Yaris Won Prestigious “European Car of the Year Award”
The popular Toyota Yaris has won the “European Car of the Year Award” for the second time, finishing ahead of the all-electric Fiat 500e and Cupra Formentor.
The other finalists were the Citroën C4, Land Rover Defender, Skoda Octavia, and the Volkswagen ID.3 EV. Previously, the first-gen Yaris won the award in 2001.
The prize ceremony, which has always taken place at the Geneva Motor Show, has been virtual this year due to the pandemic. However, the organizers hope that next year will return to normal while confirming that the prize will return for 2022.
Toyota Motor Europe’s Executive Vice President, Matt Harrison, stated, “This is a great honour for Toyota, and I’d like to thank the jury for their consideration and recognition. I’d also like to take this opportunity to recognize the passion of our development teams in Europe and Japan. This is the best-ever Yaris, and just as Akio Toyoda intended, it is already putting a smile on the face of our customers.”
A total of 59 motor journalists from 22 European countries make up the jury for this prestigious award.
Notably, the Toyota Yaris has received 266 points, ahead of the Fiat 500e (240 points) and the Cupra Formentor (239 points). This edition has been exceptionally tight since the electric Volkswagen, the ID.3, has amassed 224 points. Interestingly, before the competition, VW’s EV was the favourite to win.
Meanwhile, the Skoda Octavia and Land Rover Defender finished with 199 and 164 points, respectively. Finally, the Citroën C4 has received the lowest score among the seven finalists at 143 points.
The Toyota Yaris has become one of the few cars that have repeated as Car of the Year, along with the Renault Clio and the Volkswagen Golf.
Moreover, the Toyota Yaris was declared the best-selling car in Europe in January. Hence, the esteemed award reflects that the customers agree with the jury’s decision.
