The Tesla Model 3 has been nominated for the 2019-2020 Japan Car of the Year award. It will be going against the top gasoline and all-electric cars in Japan. 

According to Car Watch, the Japan Car of the Year Executive Committee will be holding its Japan Car of the Year award for the 40th time this year. Car Watch is part of the media firm, Impress Corporation, which has been publishing news on the internet since 1996. 

The Tesla Model 3 will be competing with 34 other cars for the title, some were made by Japanese manufacturers, and others were built by overseas automakers. All the nominees were announced or released from November 1, 2018 to October 31, 2019. They are all passenger cars which are predicted to sell about 500 units or more annually. 

The 2019-2020 Japan Car of the Year award will be split into two separate drawings. On November 7, 2019, the top ten finalists will be picked. The winner will be chosen on December 6, 2019.

2019-2020 日本カー・オブ・ザ・イヤーの「ノミネート車」35台発表@car_watch 🚗⚡️ https://t.co/Z08OvTGL3K

— テスラ (@teslamotorsjp) October 31, 2019

There is some solid competition for the Model 3. The list of nominees includes the Toyota Supra, the Porsche 911, the Jaguar I-Pace, among others. 

The Toyota Supra is an old favorite in Japan. It was initially produced from 1987 to 2002. Toyota revived the Supra in March 2019. It worked with BMW on the Supra’s latest iteration. The Toyota Supra is a favorite for Japanese car tuners, and many Fast and the Furious fans will recognize it as Paul Walker’s car from the first movie. 

The Porsche 911 is another nostalgic vehicle that has continuously been popular since its birth in 1963. The German-made vehicle is Porsche’s flagship for good reason. The iconic car was even brought to life in Pixar’s Cars as Sally, Lightning McQueen’s supportive girlfriend.  

Credit: Tesla Japan/Twitter

Then there is the Jaguar I-Pace, which has been a strong contender for the Tesla Model 3 in the all-electric vehicle category. The I-Pace seems to be the auto industry’s favorite EV right now. It has won many awards around the globe including, Auto Express’ 2018 Premium EV of the Year, and in Europe, it was named 2019 European Car of the Year. 

The Tesla Model 3 isn’t coming empty-handed either. It has some awards under its belt as well, like Auto Express’ 2019 Car of the Year, and Parkers New Car of the Year 2020. Analysts from China Securities also predicted the Model 3 would be the top EV in China when it’s released.