Subaru Forester has been awarded 2025-2026 Japan Car of the Year.
December 4, 2025
This is the 4th time that Subaru Motor Corporation has won this award, having previously in 2003-04 when the Legacy won, while in 2016-17 Impreza was the winner and in the year 2020-21 Subaru’s Levorg won the award.
The “Car of the Year Japan” is an annual award for new or redesigned vehicles released in the Japanese market. The winners and special awards are announced at an annual final selection committee. The award is supervised by a board composed primarily of Japanese automotive journalists.
The SUBARU Forester was highly regarded as an SUV that combines driving performance, practicality, comfort, off-road performance, and safety that Subaru has consistently emphasized. With the adoption of the long-awaited Strong Hybrid (S:HEV), the horizontally opposed engine, which is a unique technology, has evolved into a “Subaru-like environmental engine” that achieves both fuel efficiency and driving pleasure. In addition, the evolution of safety equipment, such as advanced driver assistance technologies such as EyeSight X and airbags that contribute to reducing injuries not only to pedestrians but also to cyclists, has also received high praise.
Honda Prelude was 1st runner-up and Toyota Crown Estate was 2nd runner-up for 2025-2026
Japan Import Car of The Year 2025-2026
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz was named as “import car of the year” for 2025-206 in Japan.
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a full-size BEV (electric vehicle) minivan, unique in the Japanese market today, and boasts an extremely high level of perfection as a BEV. The packaging unique to electric vehicles realizes a spacious interior space for a minivan, pioneering a new category of BEV minivans. Furthermore, the exterior design, which inherits the charm of the Type 2, affectionately known as the “Volkswagen Bus,” in a modern way, has a presence that brings smiles to the faces of not only the driver but also those around them, and has earned high praise.
Design car of the year 2025-2026
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz was crowned as “design car of the year” for 2025-206 in Japan.
The ID.Buzz’s exterior design inherits the heritage of the ever-popular Volkswagen Bus (Type 2) and is a modern interpretation of it. Its strong, instantly recognizable personality exudes a nostalgic, endearing appeal. In an age where technology takes priority and things tend to become impersonal, the car’s significant significance is that it demonstrates once again that emotional value is essential for automobiles, and its existence has cast a new perspective on the nature of design.
Technology car of the year 2025-2026
Porsche 911 Carrera GTS was chosen as “technology car of the year” for 2025-2026 in Japan.
The “T-Hybrid” hybrid system, the first to be adopted in the long history of the Porsche 911, is notable for its advanced motorsport-derived technology that recovers not only kinetic energy but also thermal energy. Unconstrained by the preconceived notion that electrification equals eco-friendliness, it shows a new direction for hybrid technology and has been highly praised for Porsche’s technological capabilities, which have improved environmental performance without compromising the driving appeal of a sports car.