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Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Claims Top Honours as AJAC's 2017 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year
[March 28, 2017]

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Claims Top Honours as AJAC's 2017 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year


What is a Green Vehicle?
It is a vehicle which, for its size and purpose, provides the Canadian consumer with
environmentally-friendly returns that compare favourably with other vehicles in its class.

2017 Canadian Green Car of the Year and 2017 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year

VANCOUVER, March 28, 2017 /CNW/ - In a press conference at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver International Auto Show, the 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid claimed top honours from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) as the 2017 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year (CGUVOTY).

The annual award was presented by Bob McHugh of the AJAC Board of Directors. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid was chosen from among three finalists, winning over the 2017 Subaru Forester and 2017 Mazda CX-9. The finalists were earlier announced and recognized at the Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) in February, and "crowned" with special green car toppers for the duration of the show.

"The RAV4 Hybrid combines Toyota's top-selling compact utility vehicle in Canada with the fuel efficiency and low emissions of the world'smost proven hybrid power train – and the result is a win for drivers, for communities, and for the planet," said Cyril Dimitris, Vice-President, Toyota Canada Inc. "We're delighted that members of AJAC agree, and thank them for this important award."



Entries to the CGCOTY and CGUVOTY must meet the standard requirements for initial entry into the Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) awards program, and additional criteria for fuel efficiency based on the entry's size, powertrain and purpose. This references the ideology that today's market sees Green cars come in many shapes, sizes, price-points and vehicle categories.

All entries are tested during a week-long event each fall, with back-to-back testing by Canada's top auto journalists. The CGCOTY and CGUVOTY entries are first scored under AJAC's standard Canadian Car of the Year program protocol, which considers subjective and objective data for scoring. They are then further evaluated based on a specific set of "green" criteria in addition to their other scores.


"Our panel of 60-plus voting journalists sequentially drives every vehicle in a testing category, and their scoring is combined with objective data like cargo space, braking test figures and emissions. Scores are weighted for relevance to the vehicle category in question," says CCOTY Co-Chair Justin Pritchard. "Our Canadian Green Car of the Year and Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year entries are selected from amongst standard entries that meet specific fuel efficiency criteria. Our voting panel casts a separate ballot for these models, focusing on Green characteristics including range, recharge/refuel time and price. That's combined with the overall CCOTY score—that is—how the vehicle stacks up to its competition. Today, Green cars come in many shapes and sizes, and this testing process ensures we take that into consideration."

PRESS ROOM FOR MEDIA: You didn't have to be at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Canadian Car of the Year Awards program in order to produce media coverage of the event.  AJAC has set up a virtual press room online where you may peruse and download the following: 

PHOTOS: the process of evaluating 150 vehicles back-to-back at TestFest is captured in photographs. 

VIDEO: B-roll of the 5 day event as well as short 90-second videos, 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 driven at TestFest.

FACT SHEET: Including recent press releases.

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

SOURCE Automobile Journalists Association of Canada


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