YOKOHAMA, Japan – The new Nissan Serena has been named Car of the Year for 2016/2017 by the Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference of Japan (RJC).
Additionally, RJC’s Technology of the Year award went to ProPILOT, the all-new autonomous driving technology which debuted in the Serena.
Serena/Serena Highway Star |
ProPILOT (image) |
The final round of voting for the RJC Car of the Year awards took place on November 15.
Explaining the decision to give both awards to Nissan, the RJC committee noted: “The Serena comes with a host of new features that significantly improve ease-of-use. It boasts a hands-free door that can be activated simply by sliding your foot under the vehicle, a dual-stage rear door that lets you load and unload bags even in tight spaces, and side-sliding second row seats, which make it a lot easier to get into and out of the third row.”
On the ProPILOT system, RJC commented: ”ProPILOT, a single-lane autonomous driving technology that automatically controls the accelerator, brakes and steering wheel, significantly reduces driver workload during traffic jams and long drives on highways. We feel that this system represents a vital technological stepping stone towards achieving full-scale autonomous driving in the future.”
Since its launch in August, the fully redesigned Serena has been well-received by customers, with more than 30,000 orders received.
Original press release for the new Serena:
https://newsroom.nissan-global.com/releases/160824-01-e
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