1993

Nissan Micra

338 points

2nd Place
Fiat Cinquecento - 304 points
3rd Place
Renault Safrane - 244 points

Even it it was assembled in Britain, Micra performed a big feat in Europe: to become the first Car of the Year designed in Japan; Primera had been second in 1991. The car gathered sympathies for its round, compact line that made it look smaller than it really was (3.7 m.); and also for its build quality, higher than usual British standards for unexpensive models. Good performer and with a brilliant fuel economy, Micra had as a technical distinction the first DOHC 16 valves engine under 1.0 litre available in Europe.