The Canadian Car and Utility of the Year Awards have been handed out at the Toronto Auto Show, and this year sees the Mazda3 take the car award and the Jaguar I-Pace win back to back SUV trophies for the first time in the history of the awards.
Canadian Car and Utility of the Year are awarded each year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The 51 entries this year for the awards were voted on by nearly 70 of the top automotive journalists in Canada. More than 1,200 ballots were cast to determine this year's winners.
The three finalists for 2020 Canadian Car of the Year were the winning Mazda3, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, and the Porsche 911 Carrera, narrowed down from a list of category winners that included the Subaru Legacy and Toyota Supra.
On the crossover/SUV/pickup side, called Canadian Utility of the Year, the finalists were the winning Jaguar I-Pace, the Kia Telluride, and the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel, the top finishers among other category winners that included the Subaru Outback, Volvo XC40, Porsche Cayenne, and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
When the Jaguar I-Pace won last year, it was the first battery electric vehicle to win the award, and today's achievement makes it the first vehicle to win the award back to back.
"These awards are AJAC's highest honour, and it's with the backing of our members' real-world assessment and depth of expertise that we declare the Mazda3 2020 Canadian Car of the Year and the Jaguar I-PACE 2020 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year," said AJAC President Stephanie Wallcraft. "AJAC journalists are among the most objective and discerning automotive professionals in the country, and the fact that these two vehicles have risen to the top of our rigorous testing and voting protocol means that they're truly among the best available to Canadian buyers."
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