After winning this year’s European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards, the Volkswagen Golf has picked up its third major international car trophy – the Car of the Year Japan award!

Tokyo: At the Car of the Year Japan awards ceremony held in conjunction with the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show at Tokyo’s Big Site venue, the Volkswagen Golf achieved a first for imported cars when it captured the Car of the Year Japan award. In the 34-year history of the awards, no foreign car has won the award. Until now.

In a contest that was expected to see the Golf trade blows with the Honda Fit/Jazz for honours, the Golf polled strongly from the outset and ended up amassing a commanding 504 votes from the 60 jurors in attendance. The Fit/Jazz came in second with 373 votes and the Volvo V40 placed third with 167 votes.

“This is a very special award for us in so many ways. Firstly, our Golf 7 has become the first ever imported car to win Japan’s COTY award, and we achieved this in our 60th year since Volkswagen imports started into Japan,” commented Shigeru Shoji, president of Volkswagen Japan.

In three new minor awards that were introduced this year, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) picked up the ‘Innovation Award,’ the Mazda Atenza (Mazda6) won the ‘Emotional Award’ and the jointly developed Suzuki Spacia and Mazda Flair Wagon minicars captured the ‘Small Mobility Award.’

The ‘Special Achievement Award’ went to the Daihatsu Move for its front seat lift design, technology created to assist senior citizens and people with disabilities.