Audi Canada Wins 3 AJAC Awards

Anthony Fontanelle
December 6, 2007

One AJAC award is enough to paste a big smile on the faces of Audi’s execs. What more if there are three?

Audi Canada's all new R8 and S5 models are triple crown winners today after being named by the members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) as the best cars in their respective "Prestige" and "Sports Performance Over $50,000" categories, reported NewsWire.

What is more, Canada's leading automotive writers and editors, forced to revise their list of 'dream cars', have selected the all-new Audi R8 as the "Most Coveted" new car for the 2008 model year. The two winning Audi vehicles were evaluated against a long list of discerning criteria amidst a group of strong eligible competitors, the report continued.

"Inspired by every great idea we have ever had, the all-new R8 will create a higher profile for Audi in Canada," said Doug Clark, Audi Canada's Director of Communications for Marketing and Public Relations. "Equipped with the expertise that Audi has garnered through its involvement in motorsport and from building sporty premium-class automobiles, the R8 is a precision sports car that embodies Audi's superlative road manners, pioneering technology and advanced design."

"The new Audi S5 opens an entirely new chapter in the Audi product portfolio. It follows the function of movement in design and technology, and inspires a pure desire to get inside and behind the wheel," explained Clark. "For the engineers and designers behind this exciting new model, perfecting the driving experience was their motivation. It's the scale against which the innovative power of ultramodern technologies, and the fascination of progressive design, will have to be measured from now on."

The AJAC Canadian Car of the Year competition gathers over 70 prominent auto journalists in Canada. They meet in Niagara-on-the-Lake for several days in October for the annual "TestFest" event. This program has received commendation from journalists and shoppers because the evaluation and voting processes are carried out in a professional, fair and equitable way.

The journalists who participated in the event have the rare chance to test drive all the entries back to back in identical conditions. An extensive list of important criteria is assessed by a group of journalists assigned to a specific category, and they also vote for their individual choice for car of the year.

This year, participating AJAC members were asked to pick one vehicle from the 59 Canadian Car of the Year entries as their dream car, truck or sport utility vehicle. They were told that, without regard for price, they were to pick the vehicle they would most like to own. The majority of the 74 voting journalists had to cast a ballot and, of those, two-thirds must have voted for the same vehicle in order for AJAC to make a "Most Coveted" award presentation, the report noted. If the two-thirds criterion had not been met, the award would not have been presented.

According to a number of AJAC surveys, the Canadian Car of the Year Awards has a significant influence on the purchase decision of Canadian car buyers.

"Winning these awards marks a defining moment for the Audi brand in Canada", said Diego Ramos, the Executive Vice President of Audi Canada, "especially when you consider the other fine automobiles with which the R8 and S5 were competing. I applaud the tremendous level of professionalism and integrity with which AJAC operates this annual competition."

"Clearly, these awards attest to the fact that both are leaders in their segment and that Audi is on the rise," he concluded.

With awards like those mentioned, the automaker, also famed for the manufacture of the Audi Cabriolet radiator, will really flourish in the auto realm. Long way to go Audi!

Source:  Amazines.com