Nissan ProPilot autonomous drive technology in the new Nissan Serena has won the 2016-2017 Japan Car of the Year Innovation Award. The win came after exhaustive testing by the J-COTY jury.
Brian Joss – The awards ceremony took place at the Tokyo International Exchange Center. In remarks, the J-COTY jury explained why the Innovation Award went to the Nissan Serena with ProPILOT: “The J-COTY jury members have awarded the new Serena featuring Nissan ProPILOT this year’s Innovation Award for the advanced driving safety systems available. This technology offering in the affordable MPV segment is a notable leap forward in the democratisation of fully advanced safety and comfort systems. We also praise the dual rear door and effortless hands-free sliding side-door functions.”
On sale since August under the concept “Big, Easy and Fun”, the fully redesigned fifth-generation Serena available with ProPILOT has been well received by Japanese customers. Nissan has more than 30,000 orders for the innovative and spacious MPV since launch.
Key to Serena’s success is ProPilot autonomous drive technology – a central part of Nissan Intelligent Mobility’s Intelligent Drive philosophy. The winning version of ProPilot in use on the new Serena allows automated highway single-lane-keeping and, for maintaining safe forward distance in heavy traffic situations, piloted stop and go, Nissan said.
These Intelligent Drive capabilities are firsts in this segment: a sign of what Nissan plans for ProPilot in its products in Japan and around the world.
In November, Nissan Serena with ProPilot autonomous drive technology also won the RJC Car of the Year and Technology of the Year awards for 2016 respectively, as voted by the RJC [Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference of Japan] jury. Now winning the Japan Car of the Year Innovation Award confirms that Serena is the right product at the right time, and that ProPilot responds directly to customers’ priorities.
