And the Winner is…
The 2012 Hyundai Elantra wins AJAC's prestigious Canadian Car of the Year Award
By: Travis Persaud / 16.02.2012
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The Hyundai Elantra is this year's Canadian Car of
the Year.
The Elantra won the coveted award this morning during media day at
the Canadian International Automotive Show besting its smaller
brother, the Hyundai Accent, and the Optima from its sister company
Kia.
"We felt more pressure this year," said Steve Kelleher, president
and CEO of Hyundai Canada. "But I've said [the Elantra] was the
best new car we've ever brought on the market."
The winner is based not on popularity, but rather on subjective
criteria derived from rigorous testing over four days by nearly 70
members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada
(AJAC).
"Journalists usually don't agree with me," Kelleher joked,
thankful that they did this time around. "AJAC is the best
evaluation of vehicles, and [their] Car of the Year award is the
best award in the world."
Clare Dear, president of AJAC, says the Elantra is a worthy
winner.
"It was a tough decision, [but the] Elantra is a wonderful
combination of value and good styling. You wouldn't expect to find
this type of content in a compact sedan, but somehow Hyundai has
been able to package it in such a way that you can't lose."
And, in a joint effort between CAA and AJAC, you have a chance to
win the newly minted Canadian Car of the Year by entering online at
here.
Hyundai also took home a second award this morning, winning Best
New Design for its Veloster coupe. It beat out the Jaguar XKR-S and
Range Rover Evoque.
Volkswagen was the other big winner, as its Touareg TDI Clean
Diesel won Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. It was up against
the BMW X3 and Dodge Journey.
GM rounded out this morning's winners, capturing Best New
Technology for its Voltec Propulsion System.