AJAC's 2016 Canadian Car of the Year Awards

TOP THREE FINALISTS IN NINE "BEST NEW" CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED FOR 2016

Data driven by Canadian expertise.
That's what makes a winner for Canadian consumers.

TORONTO, ON, Nov. 10, 2015 /CNW/ - The top three finalists in nine "Best New" categories have been announced for the 2016 Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY). The annual awards are determined by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), with results tabulated by KPMG.

The overall category winners from the finalists will be announced on Tuesday, November 24, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario. These winners will then compete for the top honour of 2016 Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Truck or Utility Vehicle of the Year, Canadian Green Car of the Year, and Canadian Green Truck or Utility Vehicle of the Year.

The results represent voting by the largest group of Canada's best-known automotive journalists, who gathered this October at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Clarington, Ontario for four days of intensive testing of all-new or significantly updated vehicles for 2016. The event was hosted by CTMP, while Shell Canada was the official fuel supplier for the tenth year.

The program capitalizes on the experience of some 80 member journalists, who drive all category entries on a series of drive routes, including public roads, a performance course, a handling course, and an off-road course, covering a range of conditions that consumers are also likely to experience.

Dozens of factors are scored, and everything from noise levels and cargo space, to fuel economy and acceleration figures are considered and weighted. Vehicles are categorized on their type and price, and all entries in each category are driven back-to-back, on the same day and in the same conditions.

"The benefits are twofold," says Justin Pritchard, CCOTY co-chair. "First, back-to-back testing brings out even subtle differences between competitors, which are reflected in the scoring results. And second, all of our results are quantified. When a vehicle wins or loses in the program, the public can see precisely why, since all of our testing and voting data is published online at www.ajac.ca. This isn't a popularity contest. When we declare a winner, we've got hundreds of thousands of data points, collected during thousands of man-hours of controlled test-drives, to back it up."

This year, 1,911 test drives occurred at TestFest generating over 110,000 objective and subjective data points throughout the week for the calculation of the Canadian Car of the Year Winners.

"The Canadian Car of the Year awards draw a passionate crowd of auto experts who are focused on providing consumers with information they need to help make decisions on one of their biggest investments, their vehicle," says Michael Howe, Shell Fuels scientist. "Shell Canada is proud to be the official fuels sponsor for the past ten years, because it is our mission to provide drivers with optimum performance through advanced technology in our fuels."

TOP THREE FINALISTS
2016 CANADIAN CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Best New Small Car:
- Honda Civic Sedan
- Toyota Yaris Sedan
- Volkswagen Jetta 1.4TSI

Best New Family Car:
- Chevrolet Volt
- Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
- Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon 1.8TSI

Best New Sports/Performance (under $50k):
- Mazda MX-5
- MINI John Cooper Works 3 door
- Volkswagen Golf R

Best New Sports/Performance (over $50k):
- Cadillac ATS-V
- Ford Shelby GT350
- Mercedes-AMG C 63 S

Best New Prestige / Performance:
- Cadillac CTS-V
- Mercedes-AMG GT S
- Porsche Cayman GT4

Best New SUV/CUV (under $35k):
- Honda HR-V
- Jeep Renegade
- Mazda CX-3

Best New SUV/CUV ($35k-$60k):
- Honda Pilot
- Hyundai Tucson
- Kia Sorento

Best New SUV/CUV (over $60k):
- Lincoln MKX
- Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe (GLE 350d 4MATIC Coupe)
- XC90 Volvo

Best New Pickup:
- Chevrolet Silverado
- GMC Canyon - Diesel
- Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Double Cab

PRESS ROOM FOR MEDIA: All media have access to AJAC's virtual online press room where the following can be downloaded:

VIDEO: B-roll of the four-day event, as well as 90-second videos ideal for YouTube
AERIAL VIEW: Drone footage of the event
FACT SHEET: Including recent press releases
Link is:  http://ajac.ca/web/ccoty/pressroom.asp

For further information about the AJAC CCOTY Awards, please visit the AJAC web site: ajac.ca.

SOURCE Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

Or contact : Justin Pritchard Co-Chair ([email protected]), Gary Grant Co-Chair ([email protected]), Brian Early Director ([email protected]), Haney Louka Director ([email protected]), David Taylor Director ([email protected]) or Charles Jolicoeur Director ([email protected]).