Honda Prelude received by judges of the European Car of the Year accolade for 1988, finished third in a contest where the Peugeot 405 was the runaway winner and the Citroen AX came second. This was one of the best performances by a Japanese built or branded car until the Nissan Micra won the award five years later. In 1987, "Road & Track" published a test summary that shows the 1988 Honda Prelude 2.0Si 4WS outperforming every car of that year on the slalom, with a speed of , even besting exotics such as Porsche and Ferrari. For reference, the 1988 Chevrolet
Motor Trend Car of the Year regimen. Introduced in 1970 for one year and then brought back in 1976 due to differences between imports and American cars. This was discontinued after the 1999 model year when the line between what is a domestic vehicle and what is not became problematic. "Motor Trend" magazine's China-market cousin, "Auto Club-Motor Trend", also issues a "Car of the Year" award for that market. Motor Trend Car of the Year The "Motor Trend" Car of the Year (COTY) is an annual award given by "Motor Trend" magazine to recognize the best new or significantly refreshed car in a given model year.