Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Webcasts
  • Data Privacy
  • Français
  • my CNW 
    • Login
    • Register
  • Client Login 
    • Online Member Centre
    • Next Gen Communications Cloud
    • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • Sign Up
  • Send a Release
Return to PR Newswire homepage
  • News
  • Products
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
Advanced Search
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • All Public Company
      • News Releases Overview

      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
      • Multimedia Gallery Overview

      • Trending Topics

      • All Trending Topics
  • Business
      • Auto & Transportation

      • All Automotive & Transportation
      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • Auto & Transportation Overview

      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • All Business Technology
      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • Business Technology Overview

      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • All Entertain­ment & Media
      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • Entertain­ment & Media Overview

      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • All Financial Services & Investing
      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • Financial Services & Investing Overview

      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • All General Business
      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • General Business Overview

      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • All Consumer Technology
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • Consumer Technology Overview

      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • All Energy
      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • Energy & Natural Resources Overview

      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • All Environ­ment
      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • Environ­ment Overview

      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing Overview

      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • All Telecomm­unications
      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • Telecomm­unications Overview

      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • All Consumer Products & Retail
      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • Consumer Products & Retail Overview

      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • All Entertain­ment & Media
      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • Entertain­ment & Media Overview

      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • All Health
      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • Health Overview

      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • All Sports
      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • Sports Overview

      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • All Travel
      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • Travel Overview

      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • All Policy & Public Interest
      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Canadian Federal Government
      • Canadian Municipal Government
      • Canadian Provincial Government
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • Policy & Public Interest Overview

      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • All People & Culture
      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • People & Culture Overview

      • View All People & Culture

  • Advanced Search
  • Overview
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Monitoring
  • Distribution
  • Multimedia
  • Guaranteed Paid Placement
  • AI Tools
  • IR
  • Become a Client
  • Request a Demo
  • Editorial Bureaus
  • Partnerships
  • General Enquiries
  • Media
  • Worldwide Offices
  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision Canada
  • Send a Release
  • FR
    • Phone

    • 877-269-7890 from 8 AM - 10 PM ET

    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Cision

      877-269-7890
      from 8 AM - 10 PM ET

  • Send a Release
  • Sign Up
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Webcasts
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
    • Trending Topics
  • Business
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
    • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign Up
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Webcasts
  • GDPR
  • Overview
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Monitoring
  • Distribution
  • Multimedia
  • Guaranteed Paid Placement
  • AI Tools
  • IR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign Up
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Webcasts
  • GDPR
  • Become a Client
  • Request a Demo
  • Editorial Bureaus
  • Partnerships
  • General Enquiries
  • Media
  • Worldwide Offices
  • Send a Release
  • Sign Up
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Webcasts
  • GDPR

What makes a "Best New" winner? Français


News provided by

Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

Oct 30, 2015, 11:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Answer: data driven by Canadian expertise.  
That's what makes a winner for Canadian consumers.

AJAC's 2016 Canadian Car of the Year Awards

AJAX, ON, Oct. 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Over 80 Canadian automotive journalist experts have just completed their back-to-back test-drives of 122 vehicles for the purpose of voting on the "Best New" cars, trucks and SUVs for 2016.   The event is organized by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) and is known within the industry as "TestFest."  The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario was the host of the event and Shell Canada continued as the official fuel supplier for the 10th year.

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was pleased to welcome AJAC to our world-class facility for their 28th annual TestFest event," said Myles Brandt, president and general manager. "Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, with its multiple race tracks, skid pads, off-road course as well as state-of-the-art Event Centres, provided AJAC with everything they require to run the vehicles through the various tests that ultimately determine the Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Truck or Utility Vehicle of the Year, Canadian Green Car of the Year and Canadian Green Truck or Utility Vehicle of the Year.  Many consumers base their next vehicle purchase on the results that will be complied here, so we couldn't be more proud to play a part in that."

"Clarington is excited to host TestFest at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. We are home to Canada's famous race track that will lend itself well to vehicle performance testing. We look forward to finding out which new vehicles stand out above all others," said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster.

The journalists' votes result in nine winners in "Best New" vehicle categories (e.g. Best New Small Car, or Best New SUV over $60,000), which will be announced on November 24, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario. These category winners then go on to compete for the honour of becoming the 2016 Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Truck or Utility Vehicle of the Year, Canadian Green Car of the Year, or the Canadian Green Truck or Utility Vehicle of the year winners.

But what, exactly, makes a vehicle a winner? Officials with the AJAC Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) program encourage the public to ask that exact question when considering the results of their awards program, or any other.

Where some automotive awards programs simply declare the a winner based on the preferences of a few individuals, the CCOTY program capitalizes on the experience of some 80 respected member journalists, who drive all entries back-to-back on a series of drive routes including public roads, a performance course, a handling course, and an off-road course—precisely mimicking a range of conditions that a consumer would likely experience in daily life.

Dozens of factors relating to each vehicle are scored, with everything from noise levels and cargo space to fuel economy and acceleration figures considered, weighted, and applied to that vehicle's points' score. Vehicles are categorized based on price and type, and all entries in a given category are driven back to back, on the same day, in the same conditions.

"The benefits are twofold," says CCOTY Co-Chair Justin Pritchard. "First, back-to-back testing brings out even subtle differences between competitors, which are reflected in the scoring results. And second, all of our results are quantified. When a vehicle wins or loses in the program, the public can see precisely why, since all of our testing and voting data is published online at www.ajac.ca. This isn't a popularity contest. When we declare a winner, we've got hundreds of thousands of data points, collected during thousands of man-hours of controlled test-drives, to back it up."

Both subjective and objective scores are combined and weighted for importance in determining which vehicle in each category has the greatest overall scores in relation to the vehicles it competes against. This data driven, unbiased program ensures an accurate representation of a winner.

"TestFest draws a passionate crowd of auto experts who are focused on providing consumers with information they need to help make decisions on one of their biggest investments – their vehicle, says Michael Howe, Shell Fuels Scientist. We work closely with the auto industry to develop fuels based on evolving engine technologies. Shell V-Power is proud to be the official fuel of Testfest; providing the best total engine protection you can get."

PRESS ROOM FOR MEDIA: You didn't have to be at TestFest in order to produce media coverage of the event. AJAC has set-up a virtual press room on-line where you may peruse and download the following:

VIDEO:   b-roll of the 4 day event as well as short 90 second videos that are ideal for YouTube

AERIAL VIEW:    drone footage of the event from the sky.

QUOTES & TESTIMONIALS:  comments from our journalists on the cars, trucks, and SUVs they have driven this week.

FACT SHEET:  including recent press releases.

Link is:  http://ajac.ca/web/ccoty/pressroom.asp

The Canadian Car of the Year is a vehicle that truly stands out, in its market segment, in the industry, and in the collective evaluation of Canada's most trusted automotive experts.

SOURCE Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

Image with caption: "Aerial View AJAC CCOTY TestFest (CNW Group/Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151030_C8857_PHOTO_EN_533094.jpg

Image with caption: "Cars lined up back-to-back testing track (CNW Group/Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151030_C8857_PHOTO_EN_533096.jpg

Image with caption: "Handling Course (CNW Group/Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151030_C8857_PHOTO_EN_533098.jpg

Image with caption: "Handling Course Testing Day 3 (CNW Group/Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151030_C8857_PHOTO_EN_533100.jpg

Image with caption: "Journalists TestFest Taking a Break (CNW Group/Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151030_C8857_PHOTO_EN_533102.jpg

Image with caption: "Off-road course back to back testing (CNW Group/Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151030_C8857_PHOTO_EN_533104.jpg

Image with caption: "SUV under $35 waiting for test drives (CNW Group/Automobile Journalists Association of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151030_C8857_PHOTO_EN_533178.jpg

For further information about the AJAC CCOTY Awards, please visit the AJAC web site: ajac.ca or contact : Justin Pritchard Co-Chair ([email protected]), Gary Grant Co-Chair ([email protected]), Brian Early Director ([email protected]), Haney Louka Director ([email protected]), David Taylor Director ([email protected]) or Charles Jolicoeur Director ([email protected]).

Modal title

Organization Profile

Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

    Also from this source

  • 2025 AJAC Innovation Award winners announced by Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

  • 2025 Canadian Car of the Year winners announced by Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

  • Media Advisory - 2025 Canadian Car of the Year Winners to be announced

Contact Cision

  • 866-245-2317
    from 8 AM - 10 PM ET
  • Become a Client
  • Request a Demo
  • Editorial Bureaus
  • Partnerships
  • General Enquiries
  • Media

Products

  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • Media Monitoring
  • Content Distribution
  • Multimedia Distribution
  • Measurement & Analytics
  • Investor Relations

About

  • About Cision Canada
  • About Cision
  • Media Partners
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
  • APAC
  • APAC - Simplified Chinese
  • APAC - Traditional Chinese
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Czech
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • Middle East - Arabic
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Vietnam

My Services

  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Centre
  • Next Gen Communications Cloud
  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • my CNW

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Centre
  • Next Gen Communications Cloud
  • Cision Communications Cloud
  • my CNW
877-269-7890
from 8 AM - 10 PM ET
  • Terms of Use
  • Information Security Policy
  • Site Map
  • Cookie Settings
  • Accessibility Statement
Copyright © 2025 CNW Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved. A Cision company.