The Geneva International Motor Show will not be happening this year, but at least we made it to the finale of the Europe Car of the Year 2021. The online event saw the jury picking seven winners out of a short list of 29 models.
The Toyota Yaris took the grand prize, largely owing to its extensive lineup ranging from a fuel-efficient hybrid spec to the three-door AWD hot hatch named GR Yaris. The compact-sized vehicle is a massive sales hit in Europe, overtaking even the Volkswagen Polo and the Ford Fiesta on that market in 2020. All versions are produced in France except for the GR Yaris, which is imported from Japan.
Fiat 500e occupies the second place followed by Cupra Formentor, VW ID.3, Skoda Octavia, Land Rover Defender, and Citroen C4 in that order.
Although the ECotY Award has been held annually since 1964, this is merely the third time Toyota wins it – and the second time with the Yaris model. The first-gen hatchback brought the Japanese carmaker the prize 21 year ago, and the Prius Mk2 scored an award five years after that.
The current competition rules only admit brand-new or substantially updated models launched in Europe in the past year.