Elgrand, LEAF and R32 GT-R Win Japan Hall of Fame Honors
Nissan collected three honors in the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame’s 2026–2027 awards: the all-new Elgrand won Car of the Year, the third-generation LEAF received Car Design of the Year, and the R32-generation Skyline GT-R was designated a Historic Car.
The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame announced the results on November 4, 2026, and Nissan published its own award summary the same day. The three selections span a new hybrid minivan, a current battery-electric hatchback and one of Nissan’s most important performance cars.
The Elgrand award recognizes an electrified premium minivan
The Hall of Fame cited the Elgrand’s combination of electrified technology, comfort and driving enjoyment, along with its effect on competition in Japan’s premium-minivan segment. It also highlighted Nissan’s integration of the third-generation e-POWER hybrid system with e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive control.
Nissan launched the new Elgrand in Japan on July 16. The company says cumulative orders have since passed 10,000, although it has not provided an independently audited order breakdown in the award announcement. No U.S. sale plan was announced; the vehicle and prices discussed here are for Japan.
Unlike a conventional parallel hybrid, Nissan’s e-POWER system uses the gasoline engine to generate electricity while the electric motor drives the wheels. In the Elgrand, a dedicated ZR15DDTe engine feeds a five-in-one powertrain module combining the motor, generator, inverter, reducer and increaser. The model also uses adaptive dampers that Nissan calls Intelligent Dynamic Suspension.
The Elgrand’s July launch material lists six drive modes, a Nissan-first 14.3-inch integrated display interface for Japan and available ProPILOT 2.0 driver assistance. Those specifications provide context for the award, but the award itself is not an independent road test or a performance certification.
LEAF wins for design, not range leadership
The Hall of Fame’s design award recognizes the third-generation LEAF for adapting Japanese aesthetic ideas to a digital-era EV, using aerodynamic work to shape the exterior and combining visual appeal with next-generation mobility technology. Those are the judging body’s stated reasons, not independently measured performance findings.
Nissan’s award release points to the 55-kWh B5 grade added in Japan in January and the LEAF NISMO introduced there in July. It describes the B5 as balancing price with everyday driving range, but the release does not make the LEAF’s range the basis of the design award. Market specifications, prices and charging hardware can differ outside Japan.
This is Nissan’s fourth JAHFA Car Design of the Year award, according to the company. The first-generation LEAF received the honor in the 2011–2012 awards, making the new result a useful bookend for a nameplate that helped normalize mass-market battery-electric cars.
The R32 GT-R enters the historic-car list
The R32 Skyline GT-R, launched in 1989, was selected as a Historic Car. The Hall of Fame cited its FIA-compliant 2.6-liter twin-turbocharged engine, electronically controlled ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system and role in restoring Nissan’s performance reputation.
Its competition record was also central to the recognition. Nissan and the Hall of Fame both point to 29 consecutive victories in Japanese touring-car racing, along with wins in international competition. That history explains why the R32 remains culturally significant well beyond its original production run.
Nissan continues to use racing as a technology and brand-development platform. Chiefs Review recently covered its Formula E driver plan for the GEN4 era. The R32 honor is retrospective, however; it does not announce a new GT-R or confirm any future production program.
A separate award from Japan Car of the Year
The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame award should not be confused with the separately organized Japan Car of the Year program. The latter has named the Elgrand among its 10 Best Cars for 2026–2027 but is scheduled to choose its final winner on December 3. Nissan’s November 4 announcement concerns the Hall of Fame award only.
Awards also use different criteria and judging panels, so they are best treated as one piece of evidence rather than a substitute for ownership data, safety ratings or comparative testing. Chiefs Review applied the same distinction when reporting the Nissan Rogue Hybrid’s Wards propulsion award.
Why the three selections matter together
Taken together, the awards present a broad view of Nissan’s current identity. The Elgrand represents hybrid family transport and Japan-market luxury, the LEAF carries the company’s battery-electric design work, and the R32 GT-R anchors the brand’s performance history.
The most concrete new commercial signal is the Elgrand’s manufacturer-reported order total above 10,000. The LEAF and R32 honors are more about design and cultural legacy. None of the awards changes the models’ specifications or market availability, but each gives outside recognition to a different part of Nissan’s product story.
Featured image: all-new Nissan Elgrand studio photograph, launched in Japan in July 2026. Credit: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.; official press image.