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Mazda CX-5 named Japan's Car of The Year, Subaru BR-Z wins "Special Award"

The Mazda CX-5 stamped its Kodo design and SkyActiv technology authority all over the Japan Car of the Year awards, taking the top prize ahead of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86. It is Mazda's second victory in the last ten years, the 2005 MX-5 claiming the same trophy, and the fourth time the Hiroshima company has won.
The award is decided by 60 local "automotive experts and journalists," and open to any passenger car released in Japan from November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2012 that has sold more than 500 units. Each judge gets 25 votes, his or her top vote getting 10 points, the rest of the points being spread among the judge's choice for the next best four cars.
The second-place getters were the Toyobaru twins with 318 votes, the surprise being they didn't beat or get any closer to the crossover. The Subaru BRZ did claw some mojo back, earning the Special Award given to cars that have made "an exceptional impact." The BMW 3 Series was third overall and won the Import Car of the Year award with plenty of room between it and the second place Range Rover Evoque.

Rutledge Wood wins Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach

Rutledge Wood took home the checkered flag at this year's Toyota Pro/Celebrity race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Top Gear USA presenter, Fox Sports commentator and Honda Wagovan owner managed to take pole position in qualifying, but lost his lead early in the race to Mark Steines. Steines has competed in the Pro/Celebrity race four times so far, but the Hallmark channel host of Home and Family couldn't quite hold on to the lead. Wood eventually made up the ground he had lost for the win. This year, all the participants went fender to fender in identically prepared Scion FR-S racers.
Meanwhile, Adam Carolla took first in the Pro category, and Toyota donated $5,000 on behalf of each participant to Racing for Kids. The charity benefits children's hospitals in the Long Beach area, and this year Toyota donated a total of $90,000. Check out the full press release below for more information.

Scion C-HR Concept looks sharp at LA Auto Show

The Scion C-HR concept was shown off as a Toyota concept last year at the Paris Motor Show, and we've been told it will show up at next year's Geneva Motor Show in production form. In the transition from a Toyota to a US-focused Scion, though, it's been saddled with a regrettable piece of marketing-speak: the press release says the C-HR concept was designed for "yuccies." That's an acronym describing 'young, urban creatives,' and it should go away. The C-HR is at the LA Auto Show, however, a visually fascinating concept that we're looking forward to seeing in production form; it could be good, or it could be meh. The C-HR stands for "Compact size and High Ride height," partly an effect of 21-inch wheels, and Scion says it will combine "supreme functionality" and "sporty performance" under that "polarizing" skin. We don't know much more than that about it now, save that its purpose is to be "a fantastic urban driving car." The press release below has lots of adjectives to help you imagine what that means; apparently, if you like cutting boards with grid lines and "earthy, modern terrariums," this will be for you. Related Video: Scion's Next Icon: World Debut of C-HR Concept Car at Los Angeles Auto Show TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 18, 2015 – When the designers for the Scion C-HR concept began their research, they were told by young urban creative customers, "Polarizing is ok. Boring is not." That sentiment was evident today as the Scion C-HR concept had its World Debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. With an iconic design that also incorporates functionality and sporty performance, the Scion C-HR concept is much like Scion's customer in that it strives to stand out from the crowd. "Scion is known for doing things differently, and maybe even being a little weird," said Scion Vice President Andrew Gilleland. "This C-HR concept embraces that idea and wears it like a badge of honor. We couldn't be more excited to add the production version to our line-up." The C-HR concept is named for its Compact size and High Ride height. With five doors and a hatch for supreme functionality, it's the perfect vehicle for "yuccies," the young urban creatives who inspired the design. These customers put an emphasis on great design and wanted something distinctive, sophisticated, passionate and clean. They viewed most SUVs as too boring and wanted something for their urban lifestyle that sparked emotion.