For the first time, a North American automaker has made it onto the top 10 list in Japan’s Car of the Year award.
Automotive News says the all-new Jeep Cherokee was named one of the 10 best cars in Japan for the 2014-2015 model year. Foreign cars have found their way on the top 10 list, but this marks the first time a North American vehicle has made it.
According to one judge, European cars regularly make the list. Last year, the Volkswagen Golf took the award, while the BMW i3, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Peugeot 308 made it on this year’s top 10 list. The C-Class came close to taking the Car of the Year award, but the redesigned Mazda2 eked out a win by a small margin.
The Cherokee’s placement on Japan’s Car of the Year top 10 list comes hot on the heels of hot Jeep sales across the globe. Auto News says Jeep has seen a 41 per-cent sales increase through September, with a majority of that growth seen in North America. So far this year, Jeep sales have climbed 45 per cent to 516,387 SUVs in the U.S.
