CCOTY Press Release: What Makes A Winner?

TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2014 /CNW/ - Automotive design has evolved to the point where there really is no such thing as a bad car in today's market. What, then, makes a vehicle stand out enough to be named Canadian Car, Truck or Utility Vehicle of the Year?

During the Automobile Journalist Association of Canada's annual TestFest event in the Niagara Region, over 80 respected member journalists will drive entries back to back on a series of drive routes that consist of a variety of roads that mimic the conditions that a consumer would likely experience in daily life with a vehicle. Journalists then score the entries from 1-10, using fractions if needed, to report which vehicle offered the best experience, from fit, finish and material tactile qualities, to quality of ride, quietness and comfort.

The performance of entries is tested on a closed course by some of the world's top test drivers, using state of the art data recording instruments. Other data items such as head room, leg room and storage space are also recorded and ranked.

"TestFest is the most intensive new vehicle evaluation process on the planet" said CCOTY Co-Chair, Gary Grant, who added that "no other organization employs such stringent testing methods to determine their car of year award winners."

Both subjective and objective scores are combined to determine which vehicle in each category has the greatest overall scores in relation to the vehicles it competes against in the marketplace. These scores are available at www.ajac.ca for consumers to make use of when choosing a new vehicle. This data driven, unbiased program ensures an accurate representation of a winner.

SOURCE: Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

CCOTY Board of Directors Co-Chairs Justin Pritchard [email protected]; Gary Grant [email protected].