AJAC announces 2020 Canadian Green Car of the Year and 2020 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year
Nissan LEAF Plus and Hyundai Kona Electric Revealed as Winners on Facebook Live due to COVID-19
TORONTO, March 26, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) announced that Nissan LEAF Plus is the winner of the 2020 Canadian Green Car of the Year (CGCOTY) and Hyundai Kona Electric is the winner of the 2020 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year (CGUVOTY). The announcement, which was originally scheduled to take place at the Vancouver International Auto Show, took place on Facebook Live due to the limitations imposed by COVID-19.
The Nissan LEAF PLUS's victory marks a repeat win for the nameplate, which was also named 2019 Canadian Green Car of the Year. "We are honoured to accept this award from AJAC for the Nissan LEAF, and for the second year in-a-row. The Nissan LEAF Plus is symbolic of not only the numerous benefits it provides to its customers, but also represents Nissan's overall dedication to facilitate zero emission mobility for generations to come," says Steve Milette, president of Nissan Canada Inc. "The momentum continues to build for electric cars in Canada, and the AJAC Canadian Green Car of the Year Award shines a light on this important segment."
"The Kona electric has been an absolute star for Hyundai since it arrived in Canada. It combines luxury features with over 415 km of range, all in a compact utility package. That's exactly what people are looking for these days," said Don Romano, President and CEO of Hyundai Auto Canada. "We are very happy this fantastic vehicle has been recognised by AJAC."
Entries to the CGCOTY and CGUVOTY must meet the standard requirements for initial entry into the Canadian Car of the Year awards program and also meet additional criteria for fuel efficiency based on the entry's size, powertrain and purpose.
All entries are tested by AJAC journalists, who are among the most respected and objective sources of automotive opinion in Canada. Evaluation takes place over months on different road surfaces and road conditions throughout the year and during AJAC's autumn Test Fest event. These AJAC journalism professionals score all eligible entries on parameters including recharge time, driving range, vehicle dynamics, market significance, and overall value. Each of the scores is then weighted for relevance to the vehicle and category in question. The winning score also represents how the vehicle stacks up to its market segment competition, and finally measured on a specific set of "green" criteria.
The finalists leading up to the winners were:
2020 Canadian Green Car of the Year (CGCOTY):
Nissan Altima,
Nissan Leaf PLUS, and
Volvo V60 Polestar
2020 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year (CGUVOTY).
Hyundai Nexo,
Hyundai Kona Electric, and
Jaguar I-PACE, the 2019 and 2020 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year.
This year's finalists represent an impressive array of technology ranging from traditional internal-combustion engines to hybrid drive systems, full electric and even a fuel-cell powertrain. The winners are the pinnacle of contemporary green vehicles in Canada, being based not only on their efficiency, but also their drivability and value to consumer.
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
