The Mazda2 has been named Car of the Year in Japan.
The Mazda 2 has won an impressive accolade – the Car of the Year Japan award.
A number of models were in line to secure the gong, with the Mercedes Benz C-Class among those that came close.
It became a two-horse race between the car and the Mazda2, but the latter ultimately secured more votes at the award ceremony, which was held at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo.
Mazda gained the accolade partly in recognition of its Skyactive technology, which the manufacturer believes has been a game-changer for the automotive industry.
Kiyoshi Fujiwara, executive vice president of the firm, commented: "With the Mazda2, we have rewritten the rule book for compact cars.
"Our new Skyactiv technology, excellent mileage, reasonable pricing and unique design all contributed to our victory today."
This comes after the Mazda CX-5 bagged the Car of the Year Japan award in 2012, which means the company has now secured the top honour for the second time in three years.
Nevertheless, the margin of victory for the Mazda2 was narrow this time around. The Mercedes Benz C-Class secured 404 votes, but the Mazda2 enjoyed a late rally to overtake the competition and end up with 423 votes.
This comes shortly after figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed that Mazda UK is expanding at twice the rate of the industry average so far this year.
During the first nine months of 2014, sales went up by 21 per cent, which compares with a 9.1 per cent increase across the sector as a whole.
Last month, over 8,000 motors were sold by Mazda UK, which represented a 12.2 per cent upward shift. This compared with a market average increase of 5.6 per cent.
Posted by Fred Mason