2012 Canadian Car of the Year Finalists Announced

Huw Evans
by Huw Evans
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE: OCTOBER 28, 2011–Robert Staffieri, left, and Jack G. Sulymka, right, poses for a photo with the Kia Optima LX which won Best New Family Car (over $21,000) in the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada's TestFest 2012 Canadian Car of the Year Awards in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Friday, October 28, 2011. The Kia Optima Hybrid also…

With the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto just around the corner, the finalists for Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year (the winners of which will be announced during the opening ceremonies of the show on February 16) have been announced.

For the car category, the three finalists are the Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Optima (shown above), while in the utility category, they are the BMW X3, Dodge Journey and Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel.

Each of these vehicles won their respective categories during the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s annual Test Fest, which takes place each Fall in Niagra-on-the-Lake, Ontario. This time out, some 170 vehicles in 11 different categories were evaluated by 70 auto journalists from across Canada, with the CCOTY finalists selected following four days of back-to-back testing on the street, test track and off-road course.

Besides car and utility of the year, AJAC also awards another category at the CIAS, Best New Design. For that one, this year’s three finalists are the Hyundai Veloster, Jaguar XKR-S and Range Rover Evoque.

[Source: AJAC]

Huw Evans
Huw Evans

More by Huw Evans

Comments
Join the conversation
Next