Mazda sweeps categories with new Mazda3, Mazda6
If you needed more evidence Mazda is at the top of their game, here it is.
According to AJAC TestFest judges, the new Mazda3 and Mazda6 stole the competition, winning three separate categories – Best New Small Car Under $21,000, Best New Small Car Over $21,000, and Best New Family Car Over $30,000.
Category Winners
- Best New Small Car Under $21,000: Mazda3
- Best New Small Car Over $21,000: Mazda3 Sport
- Best New Family Car Under $30,000: Kia Soul
- Best New Family Car Over $30,000: Mazda6
- Best New Luxury Car Under $50,000: Lexus IS350 F-Sport
- Best New Luxury Car Over $50,000: Infiniti Q50 Hybrid
- Best New Prestige Car Over $75,000: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Best New Sports/Performance Over $50,000: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
- Best New SUV/CUV Under $35,000: Jeep Cherokee
- Best New SUV/CUV Between $35,000 and $60,000: Kia Sorento
- Best New SUV/CUV Over $60,000: Acura MDX
- Best New Pickup: GMC Sierra
The top three winners will be announced at the Montreal Auto Show in January, with Canadian Car and Utility of the Year crowned at the Canadian International Auto Show in February.
Official press release from AJAC below.
 Mazda Canada, represented by Kathleen Smith, Chuck Reimer, and Sandra Lemaitre, accept awards for Mazda3, Mazda6. |
AJAC’s 2014 Canadian Car of the Year Awards
Criteria Driven – Canadian Expertise
TRIPLE WIN FOR MAZDA
DOUBLE WINS FOR GENERAL MOTORS and KIA
TWELVE “BEST NEW” WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Toronto, Ontario – Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Twelve “Best New” category winners were announced today by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, better known as AJAC. The results were tabulated by KPMG, the accounting firm that works with the association and its Canadian Car of the Year awards.
The twelve “Best New” categories cover the full new-model spectrum, including “Best New Small Car,” “Best New Luxury Car,” and “Best New SUV/CUV.” Most mainstream categories are further divided by price, such as over or under $35,000, to better provide fair and relevant comparison. The top three finalists by category are copied below.
 AJAC TestFest Category Winners. Click image to enlarge |
The category finalists represent the vote results by the largest group of Canada’s best-known automotive journalists, who recently gathered in Niagara Falls, Ontario for a five-day test-drive evaluation of brand-new or significantly changed vehicle models. The event, known as “TestFest,” was hosted by the Niagara Parks Commission, and Shell Canada is the official fuel supplier.
The vote results are not the personal opinion of just one journalist. Rather, they are based on a combination of objective data and evaluation by 80 journalists of 174 vehicles. Each journalist drives vehicles in a category back-to-back on the same day, under the same conditions, on closed and public roads, so as to ensure consumer relevance.
    Starting at left: Daniel Labre, National Product Communications Manager, Chrysler Canada, accepts award for Jeep Cherokee. Maria Soklis, VP and COO Kia Canada, receives award for Kia Sorento. Sandra Lemaitre, National Public Relations Manager, Mazda Canada, is given award for Mazda3. JoAnne Caza gives acceptance speech after receiving nod for Mercedes-Benz S-Class. |
Every detail, from safety features to cargo capacity, is thoroughly scrutinized and individually rated by secret ballot. Over 40,000 data fields are generated by the journalists. KPMG then tabulates the information from the ballots in order to determine the winners. The vote results are kept confidential – even from AJAC – until announced publicly.
The journalists’ evaluations are combined to select a winner in each of the twelve categories. The winners are:
   Top: Daniel Labre, Chrysler Canada, posing with Gary Grant, CCOTY Committee Member. Middle: Family Car Under $30,000 Winner, Kia Soul. Bottom: Rob Assimakopoulos, General Director, Marketing and Communications for Chevrolet in Canada, accepts award for Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. |
Best New Small Car (under $21k)
Mazda3
Best New Small Car (over $21k)
Mazda3 Sport
Best New Family Car (under $30k)
Kia Soul
Best New Family Car (over $30k)
Mazda6
Best New Luxury Car (under $50k)
Lexus IS 350 RWD
Best New Luxury Car (over $50k)
Infiniti Q50 Hybrid
Best New Sports/Performance
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Best New Prestige Car
Mercedes-Benz S Class
Best New SUV/CUV (under $35k)
Jeep Cherokee
Best New SUV/CUV ($35k to $60k)
Kia Sorento
Best New SUV/CUV (over $60k)
Acura MDX
Pickup
GMC Sierra
The vote results and comparative data will be posted to the AJAC website this week. The comparative data is criteria driven and based on Canadian expertise. Consumers are urged to use the data as a resource buying guide, at no charge, when shopping for a new vehicle. Look for the results under Vote Results and also New Vehicle Data – Criteria Driven – Canadian Expertise on our web site (ajac.ca).
The twelve category winners now go on to compete for the top honour of being either the 2014 Canadian Car of the Year or the 2014 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. The overall winners will be declared on Thursday, February 13, 2014 at the beginning of media day at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
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