About a month ago, Shaun, as is his annual tradition, joined his AJAC colleagues for four days of car reviewing frenzy at “TestFest.” He evaluated the Sports Performance over $50K, SUV over $65K and convertibles. Well, after weeks of anticipation, the votes have finally been tabulated, and this year’s Car of the Year category winners are…
TORONTO, (Ontario) – The 2007 “Best New” winners in 13 different “Canadian Car of the Year” categories were announced today, November 21, 2006, by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) at a press conference held at the Holiday Inn Select, in Toronto, Ontario.
The purpose of the Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) awards program, created by journalist members of AJAC, is to provide consumers with sound, comparative information on vehicles that are new to the market.
For that reason, the vote results that determined today’s winners are available on the AJAC web site www.ajac.ca, for use by consumers as a resource buying guide when researching the purchase of a new car, truck, SUV, or CUV for 2007. Also available to consumers are the comparative test data derived from the journalists’ extensive 3-day evaluation of 195 new 2007 vehicles in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario from October 25-27, 2007. This annual event is known in the industry as “TestFest.”
The 2007 category winners are:
BEST NEW SMALL CAR under $18,000: Honda FIT LX
BEST NEW SMALL CAR over $18,000: Volkswagen Rabbit 2.5
BEST NEW FAMILY CAR $22,000-$30,000: Toyota Camry LE
BEST NEW FAMILY CAR over $30,000: Toyota Camry Hybrid
BEST NEW LUXURY CAR under $50,000: Lexus ES 350
BEST NEW PRESTIGE CAR: Audi S8
BEST NEW SPORTS / PERFORMANCE CAR under $50,000: Mazdaspeed3
BEST NEW SPORTS / PERFORMANCE CAR over $50,000: BMW 3-Series Coupe
BEST NEW CONVERTIBLE: Volkswagen EOS 2.0T
BEST NEW PICKUP TRUCK: Chevrolet Avalanche
BEST NEW SUV / CUV under $35,000: Toyota RAV4 – V6 Sport
BEST NEW SUV / CUV $35,000-$60,000: Acura RDX Technology Package
BEST NEW SUV / CUV over $60,000: Mercedes-Benz GL Class
The overall Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, as well as the Canadian Truck of the Year will all be announced on February 14th, 2007, at the 2007 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Ontario. The 2007 Best New Design and Best New Technology winners will also be declared at that time.
And there’s more. our AJAC journalists who evaluated the brand-new models at TestFest are available across Canada for interviews to talk about the vote results and comparative data. Media are invited to visit the AJAC web site and log-in under “Ask The Experts,” then choose the “Car of the Year” link for interviews once they’ve been validated.
Still looking to buy a 2006 car? AJAC archives the comparative test data and vote results from previous years on its web site.
For more information on the Canadian Car of the Year Awards, either visit our AJAC web site (www.ajac.ca), call the AJAC office at 1-905-342-2220, or email beth[a]ajac.ca