Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario – After five days of testing, members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) have selected the 2009 “Best New” winners in 14 different categories. An overall Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Truck of the Year will be announced at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto in February 2009.
The purpose of the awards is to provide consumers with a resource that provides comparative information on vehicles that are new to the market.
A survey by Martiz Research on behalf of AJAC and in association with General Motors of Canada found that 74 per cent of 2008 Buick Enclave buyers who were aware of the AJAC awards program knew that the vehicle was voted the 2008 Best New SUV Over $60,000, a record high point for awareness. Of those buyers, 41 per cent said the award had a “positive effect” on their buying decision, which AJAC said is a concrete measure of how influential the AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Awards have become.
The votes that determined the 2009 winners are available on the association’s website at AJAC for use by consumers as a resource buying guide when researching the purchase of a new car, truck, SUV or CUV for 2009.
The 2009 category winners are:
Best New Small Car Under $18,000: Toyota Corolla
Best New Small Car Over $18,000: Pontiac Vibe
Best New Family Car $22,000-$30,000: Mazda6
Best New Family Car Over $30,000: Volkswagen Passat CC
Best New Luxury Car Under $50,000: Hyundai Genesis
Best New Luxury Car Over $50,000: Audi A4
Best New Prestige Car: Mercedes-Benz CL 550/Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG (tie)
Best New Sports/Performance Car Under $50,000: BMW 135i Coupe
Best New Sports/Performance Car Over $50,000: Lexus IS F
Best New Convertible: Audi TTS
Best New Pickup Truck: Dodge Ram
Best New SUV/CUV Under $35,000: Subuaru Forester
Best New SUV/CUV $35,000-$60,000: Ford Flex
Best New SUV/CUV Over $60,000: Mercedes-Benz M-Class BlueTEC
Along with the announcement for the overall winners, the 2009 Best New Design and Best New Technology winners will also be declared at the Canadian International Auto Show on February 11, 2009.
