RJC Car of the Year - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference of Japan, also known as (RJC), is a non-profit organization established in 1990, consisting of Japan-based automotive critics and journalists.

The RJC holds a yearly conference, where they bestow awards regarding:

Person of the Year (related to the automotive world)
Technology of the Year
Car of the Year (Japanese-made)
Import Car of the Year (since 2001)

RJC Car of the Year is one of the prominent Japanese automobile awards, the other being Japan Car of the Year.

Winners

Year	Person of the Year	Technology of the Year	Car of the Year	Import Car of the Year	Special Award
2011		Subaru Subaru ; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as... Advanced Driver Assistance Systems "eyesight"	Suzuki Swift Suzuki Swift The Suzuki Swift is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki in Japan since 2000. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been applied to the Suzuki Cultus in export markets such as Australasia, Europe, India and North America.- Predecessor :...	Volkswagen Polo Volkswagen Polo The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, coupé and estate variants....
2010		Mazda Mazda is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales... Idling mechanism "i-stop" Home Ice	Honda Insight Honda Insight The Honda Insight is a hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by Honda and the first production vehicle to feature Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system. The first-generation Insight was produced from 1999 to 2006 as a three-door hatchback...	Audi Q5 Audi Q5 The Audi Q5 is a compact crossover SUV which was released by German automaker Audi for the 2009 model year. It is built using the new Audi MLP platform which debuted in the 2007 Audi A5 coupé. The Q5 is the second Audi model in the "Q" range, after the full-size Q7...
2009		Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is... 1.4 liter TSI TSI -Science, technology and engineering:Thyroid Stimulating ImmunoglobulinTime-Slot Interchange, a technique used to switch networksTotal Solar Irradiance, the total energy output of the sunTrophic state index... with 7-speed DSG Direct-Shift Gearbox The Direct-Shift Gearbox , commonly abbreviated to DSG, is an electronically controlled dual clutch multiple-shaft manual gearbox, in a transaxle design - without a conventional clutch pedal, and with full automatic, or semi-manual control...	Suzuki Wagon R Suzuki Wagon R The Suzuki Wagon R is a kei car first introduced in Japan in 1993, and is still in production by Suzuki. The R stands for Recreation. It is one of the first cars to use the "tall wagon or tall boy" design in which the car is designed to be unusually tall with a short bonnet and almost vertical...	Audi A4 Audi A4 The first generation Audi A4 debuted in 1994, with production starting November 1994. It was built on the Volkswagen Group B5 platform, which it shared with the fourth generation Volkswagen Passat . It had a front-mounted longitudinal engine and front-wheel drive...	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
2008		VW Volkswagen Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is... TSI Twincharger Twincharger refers to a compound forced induction system used on some piston-type internal combustion engines. It is a combination of an exhaust-driven turbocharger and an engine-driven supercharger, each mitigating the weaknesses of the other... Engine (Golf Variant)	Mazda Demio Mazda Demio The Mazda Demio is a subcompact car manufactured by Mazda introduced in 1996, now in its third generation, marketed globally also as the Mazda2 — and previously marketed under nameplates including Mazda 121, Mazda Metro and Ford Festiva Mini Wagon.The third generation Demio earned the 2008...	Peugeot 207 Peugeot 207 The Peugeot 207 is a small family car produced by the French automaker Peugeot and unveiled in January 2006.-Launch:The 207 was launched in France, Spain and Italy during April 2006 and later on in other European, Israeli and Arabic markets....	Mazda CX-7 Mazda CX-7 The CX-7 is a mid-size crossover SUV model from Mazda, the production version of the MX-Crossport concept car. The CX-7 is built in Hiroshima, Japan, starting in early 2006. The CX-7 was shown publicly for the first time at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show in January. Production officially began on... (Best SUV)
2007	津田紘 (Hiroshi Tsuda, president, Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines... )	3.0 L Litre pic\|200px\|right\|thumb\|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre... V6 common rail diesel turbo engine (DaimlerChrysler DaimlerChrysler Daimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm... )	Mitsubishi i Mitsubishi i The is a kei car from Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors, first released in January 2006, twenty eight months after its debut at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show...	Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI Mercedes-Benz W211 The Mercedes-Benz W211 is a mid-size luxury car–executive car which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz from 2002 to 2009, under the E-Class model names. The W211 models replaced the W210 E-Class models and were superseded by the Mercedes-Benz W212 in 2009...	Daihatsu Move Custom Daihatsu Move The Daihatsu Move is a kei car, produced by Japanese automaker Daihatsu since August 1995. The Move is designed to be as tall as compact cars like the Suzuki Wagon R. Daihatsu successfully sold 500,000 Moves during its first three years of production. The Move is built upon the chassis of the... (Best Kei car Kei car Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is... )
2006	井巻久一 (Hisakazu Imaki, President, Mazda)	Honda 3-Stage i-VTEC + IMA Integrated Motor Assist Integrated Motor Assist is Honda's hybrid car technology, introduced in 1999 on the Insight.It is a specific implementation of a parallel hybrid. It uses an electric motor mounted between the internal combustion engine and transmission to act as a starter motor, engine balancer, and assist... (Civic Honda Civic Hybrid The Civic hybrid, based on the seventh generation Civic, was first introduced to the Japanese market in December 2001. Honda claimed it was the most fuel efficient 5-passenger gasoline-powered production vehicle in the world at the time. It was introduced to the U.S. in spring 2002 as a 2003 model... )	Suzuki Swift Suzuki Swift The Suzuki Swift is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki in Japan since 2000. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been applied to the Suzuki Cultus in export markets such as Australasia, Europe, India and North America.- Predecessor :...	Citroën C4 Citroën C4 The Citroën C4 is a small family car produced by French automaker Citroën since autumn 2004. The C4 was designed to be the successor to the Citroën Xsara. It is mechanically similar to the Peugeot 308, which was launched in 2007. A revised version with new front end, reverse light and dashboard...
2005		Honda SH-AWD SH-AWD Super Handling-All Wheel Drive or SH-AWD is a full-time, fully automatic all-wheel drive traction and handling system designed and engineered by Honda Motor Company. The system was announced in April 2004, and first introduced in the North American market in the second generation 2005 model year... (Legend Honda Legend The Honda Legend is a mid-size luxury car made by the Japanese automaker Honda. It was the result of Project XX, a joint agreement started in November 1981 with the Austin Rover Group of Great Britain and was mechanically related to the Rover 800 series.... )	Nissan Fuga Nissan Fuga The Fuga is a full-size sedan, rear wheel drive with optional all wheel drive, produced by Nissan of Japan since October 2004 and now in its second generation. It is built on a wider, stretched wheelbase version of the Nissan FM platform. After the Nissan Cima and Nissan President were...	Audi A6	Subaru R2 Subaru R2 For the late 1960s Subaru R-2, please see Subaru R-2The Subaru R2 was announced in Japan on December 8, 2003, and the R2 name was inspired by the Subaru R-2, the kei car model that was produced between 1969 and 1972.... (Best Kei car)
2004	Henry Ford Henry Ford Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...	Mazda Renesis Engine	Mazda RX-8 Mazda RX-8 The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and, like its predecessors in the RX range, it is powered by a Wankel engine. The RX-8 began North American sales in the...	Audi A3	Volkswagen Touareg Volkswagen Touareg The Volkswagen Touareg is a mid-size crossover SUV produced by German automaker Volkswagen since 2002. The vehicle was named after the Tuareg people, a Berber-speaking group in North Africa... (Best SUV)
2003		BMW Valvetronic Valvetronic The Valvetronic system is a variable valve timing system to offer continuous and precisely variable intake valve lift, from ~0 to 10 mm, and duration. It typically works in conjunction with the independent Double VANOS system that continuously varies the timing...	Mazda Atenza Mazda Atenza The Mazda6 or Mazda 6 is a mid-size car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Mazda since 2002...	Citroën C3 Citroën C3 The Citroën C3 is a supermini car equipped with a range of inline-four engines that has been produced by the French automaker Citroën since 2002. It was designed by Donato Coco and Jean-Pierre Ploué, previously known for designing the first generation Renault Twingo; the former has been the head of...	Subaru Forester
2002	吉野浩行 (Hiroyuki Yoshino, President, Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... )	Toyota THS-C Hybrid Synergy Drive Hybrid Synergy Drive is a set of hybrid car technologies developed by Toyota and used in the company's Auris, Prius, Highlander Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, Estima, Alphard, Lexus CT, Lexus RX 400h/RX 450h, Lexus GS 450h, Lexus LS 600h/LS 600hL, and Lexus HS 250h automobiles. Toyota also licenses its HSD... + E-Four Hybrid	Honda Fit Honda Fit The Honda Jazz is a five-door hatchback subcompact manufactured by the Honda Motor Company of Japan, first introduced in June 2001 and is now in its second generation. The Jazz shares Honda's Global Small Car Platform with the City/Fit Aria, Airwave/Partner, Mobilio, Mobilio Spike, Freed and Freed...	Audi A4	Mazda RX-7 R-Type
2001	石原慎太郎 (Shintarō Ishihara Shintaro Ishihara is a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi... , Governor of Tokyo)	Nissan NEO QG18DE Engine	Honda Civic	Volkswagen Golf Volkswagen Golf Mk4 Launched in 1999, the Volkswagen Golf Mk4 was the best selling car in Europe in 2001 . The Mk4 was a deliberate attempt to take the Volkswagen Golf series further upmarket, with a high-quality interior and higher equipment levels...	Cadillac Cadillac Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest... Night Vision DHS (Technology) Mazda MPV (Minivan)
2000	新宮威一 (Iichi Shingu, President, Daihatsu)	Nissan Extroid CVT Continuously variable transmission A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios... (Cedric / Gloria)	Nissan Cedric / Nissan Gloria	Peugeot 206 Peugeot 206 The Peugeot 206 is a supermini car, manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot from 1998 to 2010.Even though the 206 has finished production in most markets as of 2010, in Europe since 2009, it is available the 206+, with a back and especially a front design that resembles the Peugeot 207.-The...
1999	海崎洋一郎 (Yoichiro Kaizaki, President, Bridgestone Bridgestone The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese.... )	Isuzu Isuzu , is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures... Common Rail Type Direct Injection Diesel Engine (Bighorn)	Subaru Legacy / Lancaster	BMW 3 Series BMW E46 The BMW E46 is the fourth generation of the 3 Series compact executive cars produced by BMW, produced from 1998 when it succeeded the BMW E36 until it was replaced by the BMW E90 in 2005....	Subaru Pleo Subaru Pleo The second-generation Pleo first went on sale in Japan on April 20, 2010. Due to Subaru's corporate investment by Toyota, this second generation is manufactured by Daihatsu instead of Subaru, and is a rebadged Daihatsu Mira.-External links:*...
1998		Toyota Hybrid System (THS) Hybrid Synergy Drive Hybrid Synergy Drive is a set of hybrid car technologies developed by Toyota and used in the company's Auris, Prius, Highlander Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, Estima, Alphard, Lexus CT, Lexus RX 400h/RX 450h, Lexus GS 450h, Lexus LS 600h/LS 600hL, and Lexus HS 250h automobiles. Toyota also licenses its HSD... (Prius)	Toyota Prius Toyota Prius The Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation...	Volkswagen Passat
1997	川本信彦 (Nobuhiko Kawamoto Nobuhiko Kawamoto was the CEO of Honda Motor from 1990 to 1998.-Biography:After graduating from Tohoku University in 1963, he joined the Honda F1 team as a design engineer. After Honda pulled out of F1 after the 1968 season to focus on production vehicles, he returned to Japan and rose through the company's ranks... , President, Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... )	Mitsubishi GDI Gasoline direct injection In internal combustion engines, gasoline direct injection , also known as petrol direct injection or direct petrol injection, is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke and four-stroke gasoline engines... Engine (Galant / Legnum)	Mazda Demio / Ford Festiva Mini Wagon Mazda Demio The Mazda Demio is a subcompact car manufactured by Mazda introduced in 1996, now in its third generation, marketed globally also as the Mazda2 — and previously marketed under nameplates including Mazda 121, Mazda Metro and Ford Festiva Mini Wagon.The third generation Demio earned the 2008...	Volkswagen Polo
1996	梁瀨次郎 (Jiro Yanase, CEO, Yanase)	Toyota VSC (Crown Royal / Crown Majesta)	Toyota Crown Royal / Crown Majesta	Mercedes-Benz E-Class Mercedes-Benz W210 The Mercedes-Benz W210 is a mid-size luxury car–executive car which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz from 1995 through 2002 . The W210 replaced the W124 model. They were sold under the E-Class model names in both sedan and station wagon body types...
1995	豐田英二 (Eiji Toyoda Eiji Toyoda is a prominent Japanese industrialist, who was largely responsible for bringing Toyota Motor Corporation to profitability and worldwide prominence during his tenure as president and later chairman.-Career:... , Chairman, Toyota)	Mitsubishi INVECS II INVECS INVECS is the brand name used by Mitsubishi Motors for its electronic automatic transmission technology.-INVECS:... + Sport Mode AT (FTO Mitsubishi FTO The Mitsubishi FTO, is a front engined, front-wheel drive coupe produced by Mitsubishi Motors between 1994 and 2000. It was originally planned to be exclusively for the Japanese domestic market, although its popularity as a grey market import to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand led to... )	Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey can refer to three motor vehicles manufactured by Honda:* Honda Odyssey , a minivan sold in Japan and other parts of the world* Honda Odyssey , a minivan sold primarily in the United States and Canada...	Opel Omega
1994	鈴木修 (Osamu Suzuki, President, Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines... )	Mazda Miller cycle Miller cycle In engineering, the Miller cycle is a combustion process used in a type of four-stroke internal combustion engine. The Miller cycle was patented by Ralph Miller, an American engineer, in the 1940s.- Overview :... Engine (Mazda Millenia / Eunos 800 Mazda Millenia The Mazda Millenia is an automobile which was manufactured by Mazda in Japan from 1993 to 2003.The Millenia was originally planned as the second of three models for Mazda’s proposed luxury brand Amati... )	Suzuki Wagon R Suzuki Wagon R The Suzuki Wagon R is a kei car first introduced in Japan in 1993, and is still in production by Suzuki. The R stands for Recreation. It is one of the first cars to use the "tall wagon or tall boy" design in which the car is designed to be unusually tall with a short bonnet and almost vertical...	Saab 900 Saab 900 The Saab 900 was a car produced by Saab Automobile from 1978 until 1998 in two generations. The first generation from 1978 to 1993 is known as the "classic"; the generation from 1994 to 1998 is known as the "new generation" ....
1993	鈴木元雄 (Motoo Suzuki, President, Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Motors is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production... )	Mitsubishi INVECS INVECS INVECS is the brand name used by Mitsubishi Motors for its electronic automatic transmission technology.-INVECS:... (Galant / Eterna)	Nissan March	Volvo 850 Volvo 850 The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car produced by Volvo Cars from 1992 to 1997 and designed by Jan Wilsgaard. Available in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate body styles, the Volvo 850 was notable as the first front-wheel drive vehicle from this Swedish manufacturer to be exported to North...
1992	山本健一 (Kenichi Yamamoto, 6th President, Mazda Mazda is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales... )	Honda VTEC VTEC VTEC is a valvetrain system developed by Honda to improve the volumetric efficiency of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. The VTEC system uses two camshaft profiles and electronically selects between the profiles. It was invented by Honda R&D engineer Ikuo Kajitani, and was the first system... Engine	Mazda RX-7 Mazda RX-7 Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...	BMW 3-Series BMW E36 The BMW E36 is the third generation of the 3 Series compact executive cars produced by BMW. It was introduced in late 1990 for Europe and in late 1991 for US and Canada. It was the successor to the E30 3 Series and was eventually replaced by the E90 3 Series in 2005, though E36 coupes were still...	本田宗一郎 (Soichiro Honda Soichiro Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist, and founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..Honda was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan on November 17, 1906. He spent his early childhood helping his father, Gihei, a blacksmith, with his bicycle repair business. At the time his mother, Mika, was a weaver. At... , Supreme Advisor, Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... )

Winners

See also