Mercedes-Benz and Audi have a better chance at bringing home the 2009 Canadian Car of the Year as elected by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, with several products up for the coveted award.
Mercedes topped the Best New Prestige category with two of its products tying for the top spot -- the CL550 coupe and the SL63 AMG roadster; the German maker's ML320 BLUETEC sport utility claimed the Best New New Sport Utility/Crossover over $60,000 title and will be up for the 2009 Canadian Truck of the Year title.
Audi witnessed its TTS take Best New Convertible honours while its A4 took got the nod in the Best New Luxury Car over $50,000 Category. Its parent company, Volkswagen, grabbed the Best New Family Car over $30,000 with its Passat CC.
Other cars up for the overall Canadian Car of the Year title are the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Corolla that got the nod in the Best New Small Car categories (over $18,000 and under $18,000, respectively), BMW 135i coupe in the Best New Sports/Performance under $50,000, Lexus IS F in the Best New Sports/Performance over $50,000 category, Mazda6 as the Best New Family Car under $30,000, and the Hyundai Genesis as the Best New Luxury Car under $50,000.
Also vying for the 2009 Canadian Truck of the Year will be the Dodge Ram as the Best New Pickup, Ford Flex as the Best New Sport Utility/Crossover ($35,000-$60,000) and Subaru Forester as the Best New New Sport Utility/Crossover under $35,000, in addition to the ML320 BLUETEC.
A total of 56 vehicles were up for 14 category titles, with back to back evaluations recently performed at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario by automobile journalist members from across Canada, who work for various media outlets.
Car and Truck of the Year winners will be announced at the Montreal and Toronto auto shows in 2009.
source:autonet
