Not to have its thunder stolen by yesterday’s North American Car of the Year announcement, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) revealed today the 12 vehicles in the running for its top awards.
This year’s collection of finalists span across four categories. Car of the Year is fairly self-explanatory; the Utility Vehicle of the Year award includes SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans, while the two electric categories are open to fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Previously, only all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles were eligible for AJAC’s top hardware, but now, any vehicle currently on sale can qualify. The 53 jurors eligible to vote — including past and present DoubleClutch.ca staffers and contributors — must have driven every vehicle in the running, and evaluate them based on qualitative and quantitative factors.
So, without further ado, here’s what’s in the running.
Canadian Car of the Year
Honda Civic
Hyundai Elantra
Porsche 911
Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year
Ford Maverick
Hyundai Palisade
Toyota RAV4
Canadian Electric Car of the Year
Lucid Air
Porsche Taycan
Toyota Prius PHEV
Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year
Hyundai Ioniq 9
Kia EV9
Lucid Gravity
AJAC will announce the winners next month at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
