Category finalists announced for AJAC 2020 Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards

Winners to be revealed at Montreal International Auto Show on January 16, 2020

TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2019 /CNW/ - The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) announced today three finalists in each of 12 vehicle categories that will ultimately determine the 2020 Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year.

More than 1,200 ballots were submitted over nearly an entire calendar year by AJAC journalist members, who collectively comprise the most esteemed group of professional automotive media in Canada. Journalists drive the qualifying entries, which for the 2020 program saw last year's category winners compete against next-generation or significantly updated vehicles, on the same roads and in the same conditions experienced by Canadian drivers from coast to coast.

The next step in the 2020 Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year awards will see the winning vehicles in each of these 12 categories announced on January 16, 2020, at the Montreal International Auto Show. The overall winners will be revealed as part of the opening ceremonies for the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on February 13, 2020, and the Canadian Green Car of the Year and Green Utility Vehicle of the Year awards will be presented at the Vancouver International Auto Show on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

2020 Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year Category Finalists:

Best Small Car in Canada for 2020:
Kia Forte/Forte5 (2019 category winner)
Kia Soul
Mazda Mazda3

Best Large Car in Canada for 2020:
Kia Stinger (2019 category winner and Canadian Car of the Year)
Subaru Legacy
Volkswagen Arteon

Best Small Premium Car in Canada for 2020:
Acura ILX
Jaguar XE
Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Best Sports-Performance Car in Canada for 2020:
Hyundai Veloster N
Toyota Supra
Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Best Premium Sports-Performance Car in Canada for 2020:
Jaguar F-PACE SVR
Jaguar F-TYPE
Porsche 911 Carrera

Best Mid-Size Utility Vehicle in Canada for 2020:
Mazda CX-5 (2019 category winner)
Subaru Outback
Toyota RAV4

Best Large Utility Vehicle in Canada for 2020:
Hyundai Palisade
Kia Telluride
Mazda CX-9 (2019 category winner)

Best Small Premium Utility Vehicle in Canada for 2020:
Lexus UX
Range Rover Evoque
Volvo XC40

Best Mid-Size Premium Utility Vehicle in Canada for 2020:
Infiniti QX50 (2019 category winner)
Land Rover Discovery Sport
Porsche Cayenne

Best Pick-up in Canada for 2020:
Ford Ranger
Jeep Gladiator
Ram 1500 EcoDiesel

Best EV in Canada for 2020:
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (2019 category winner)
Hyundai Kona Electric
Hyundai NEXO

Best Premium EV in Canada for 2020:
Jaguar I-PACE (2019 category winner and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year)
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid
Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered

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

Stephanie Wallcraft, President, AJAC, 416-888-3762, [email protected]; Dan Heyman, Vice-President, AJAC, [email protected], 604-729-4281; Cindy Hawryluk, Manager, AJAC, 905-978-7239, [email protected]