Best Vehicles in Canada for 2019 Announced Across 12 Categories by Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year
category winners revealed at Montreal International Auto Show

TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 /CNW/ - The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) announced today the vehicles its members selected as the best in Canada for 2019 in each of 12 categories spanning segments that include cars, utility vehicles, and pick-up trucks.

This announcement moves nine vehicle manufacturers one step closer to winning the ultimate accolades of 2019 Canadian Car of the Year and 2019 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. With three wins, Mazda takes homes more trophies than any other automaker in 2019, followed by Kia, which swept the mainstream car categories to score a pair of victories.

These winners were selected from across 55 entries, including last year's category winners and this year's next-generation or significantly updated vehicles. Voting data was collected anonymously from more than 1,500 ballots submitted by nearly 70 AJAC journalist members, who collectively comprise the most esteemed group of professional automotive media in Canada. AJAC journalists, based across the country from Vancouver to Halifax, drove the vehicles over more than six months on the very same roads and in the same conditions experienced daily by Canadian drivers from coast to coast.

"Our journalist members are among the most discerning and objective automotive reviewers anywhere, and not one of them takes the duty of selecting these award winners lightly," said Mark Richardson, President of AJAC. "Canadians can look to this list with confidence, knowing that each vehicle has been chosen as being a standout in its segment by experts who understand the unique challenges of daily driving in this country."

All 12 of these vehicles now qualify to be named 2019 Canadian Car of the Year or 2019 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. These awards will be presented as part of the opening ceremonies for the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto on February 14, 2019.

The 2019 Canadian Green Car of the Year and 2019 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year awards, bestowed upon those deemed to be the best among fuel-efficient or electrified vehicles available in Canada, will be presented at the Vancouver International Auto Show on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.

2019 Canadian Car of the Year and 2019 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year Category Winners:

Best Small Car in Canada for 2019:
Kia Forte

Best Large Car in Canada for 2019:
Kia Stinger

Best Mid-Size Premium Car in Canada for 2019:
Mercedes-Benz E 400 4MATIC

Best Large Premium Car in Canada for 2019:
Volvo V90 R-Design

Best Sports-Performance Car in Canada for 2019:
Mazda MX-5

Best Small Utility in Canada for 2019:
Hyundai Kona

Best Mid-Size Utility in Canada for 2019:
Mazda CX-5

Best Large Utility in Canada for 2019:
Mazda CX-9

Best Mid-Size Premium Utility in Canada for 2019:
Infiniti QX50

Best Pick-up Truck in Canada for 2019:
Ford F150 Diesel

Best EV in Canada for 2019:
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid

Best Premium EV in Canada for 2019:
Jaguar I-PACE

About the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC)

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) is an association of professional journalists, writers, photographers, and corporate members whose focus is the automobile and the Canadian automotive industry. Collectively, our primary objectives are to promote, encourage, support, and facilitate professionalism in Canadian automotive journalism and to ensure factual and ethical reporting about the automobile and automotive issues to Canadian consumers. This is achieved through the work of our members and AJAC's annual vehicle testing and evaluation events, the Canadian Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards (CCOTY and CUVOTY), Innovation Awards, and EcoRun.

SOURCE Automobile Journalists Association of Canada