Honda e is the first Japanese car to win German COTY

The Honda e has scooped up another award and it’s a big one. The Japanese carmaker’s EV for its home market and Europe has been named ‘German Car of the Year 2021’, becoming the first vehicle from a Japanese brand to win Germany’s COTY. The Honda e also won in the ‘New Energy’ category.

The overall German COTY win comes after the Honda e’s ‘Best of the Best 2020’ gong in the Red Dot Design Awards, as well as topping the ‘Best Car Tech’ category in Autocar’s ‘Britain’s Best Car’ Awards 2020, among other accolades from the press and organisations.

The German COTY awards are decided by a jury of leading German car journalists. The panel tests and reviews the latest cars, ranking them according to their usability, driving characteristics, market relevance and level of innovation. The winners of five categories – Compact, Premium, Luxury, New Energy and Performance – then go head-to-head to decide an overall winner.

“For Honda e to be the first Japanese car to be awarded German COTY is a great honour and one we are incredibly proud to receive. Customer and media response to the Honda e since it was first unveiled has been overwhelmingly positive. The Honda e is a perfect example of a product with a unique design, featuring cutting-edge technology and advanced intelligent connectivity to keep owners connected with their everyday life. We are very thankful for this award,” said Katsuhisa Okuda, president of Honda Motor Europe.

“Honda e represents a new type of mobility where the car plays a central role in creating a ‘seamless connection’ between various facets of life,” said Tomofumi Ichinose, the model’s large project leader (chief engineer in Honda speak).

“It was also developed to be the best urban commuter in response to environmental issues, especially in city areas. Development was a big challenge, however at the same time, it was fun to envision a beautiful and brighter future in which Honda e plays its part. Team members and I are delighted to receive this award, a recognition that the vision this car represents has value,” the LPL added.

Launched earlier this year, the cute EV is an important model in the carmaker’s commitment to electrify 100% of its European mainstream models by 2022. It’s deliberately small and city, with a range of around 220 km per charge.

“Most EVs use large capacity batteries, but often, much of that capacity goes unused during city driving. We question whether larger vehicles are appropriate for urban areas, and believe that smaller is a better option for cities,” Ichinose was previously quoted as saying.

The Honda e is available in two output versions, a 100 kW (136 PS) and a 113 kW (154 PS), both with 315 Nm. In Germany, pricing for the EV starts from 29,470 euros (RM143,470) for the 100 kW version, while the 113 kW model costs 32,470 euros (RM158,075). The battery is a 35.5 kWh unit. Unfortunately, the EV will only be sold in Japan and Europe, with the latter continent taking the lion’s share of allocation. The Honda e is surely one of the most desirable EVs available in the market, despite its relatively short range.

GALLERY: Honda e, production version