The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) named its choices for Canadian vehicles of the year this morning during a special presentation at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto.
Inheriting the title from the Volkwagen Golf Alltrack, the new Honda Accord was chosen 2018 Canadian Car of the Year, beating out finalists the Mazda3 and Volvo S90 / V90.
"We're honoured and humbled to receive this recognition from a group of respected automotive journalists in Canada. We're both proud and thankful for all of our associates who supported the production and development of this vehicle and for our passionate customers who have supported the Accord for the past forty years."
- Jean-Marc Leclerc, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Honda Canada
The other big winner as determined by AJAC was the Chrysler Pacifica, named 2018 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year; it beat out not one but two Mazda SUVs, the Mazda CX-5 and the Mazda CX-9.
“There’s an extra air of significance when one of our homegrown products wins a domestic award. Chrysler Pacifica’s recognition as 2018’s Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year reinforces its position as the most awarded minivan of the last two years, and provides important third-party validation for the exclusive suite of versatility, style, safety and technology that it brings to Canadians.”
- Reid Bigland, President and CEO, FCA Canada
This was the first year that AJAC did not restrict itself to considering only models that are new to the market. The winners were decided through voting by close to 100 AJAC members, who evaluated the vehicles over the course of the year by road testing them in varying conditions. Criteria included performance, equipment included, design, fuel efficiency and overall value.
Winners of the awards for 2018 Canadian Green Car of the Year and Green Utility Vehicle of the Year will be announced in Vancouver on March 28th.
In case you missed it, the new Accord, the Volvo XC60 and the Lincoln Navigator were named 2018 North American Car, North American Utility Vehicle and North American Truck of the Year, respectively, at the Detroit auto show at the beginning of the year.