GM dominant in TestFest finalists
A list of the category finalists for the 2008 AJAC Car of the Year awards, released this week by the accounting firm KPMG, suggests winds are shifting on the automotive landscape.
Asian and European brands have traditionally prevailed in AJAC's annual Car of the Year testing. But this year, General Motors vehicles dominated the list of finalists, placing eight cars and trucks among the top three in their respective categories.
That accomplishment tends to validate GM's claims that its newer products are not only significantly improved but now competitive with their import-brand competitors.
Five other manufacturers – Audi, BMW/Mini, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, and Subaru – tallied three finalists each, while Honda, Toyota/Lexus, and Volvo each had two.
Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki each placed one entry among the category finalists.
To narrow the list down to those finalists, 73 members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) tested and voted on 59 different new vehicles last month in a five-day TestFest held in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The finalist matchups suggest very close races in several of those categories. Some obvious questions to be resolved include:
Can GM's Belgian-built Saturn Astra beat out its Japanese competitors for Small Car class honours?
Is the all-new Chevrolet Malibu really a match for the perennially-favourite Honda Accord?
Does the Cadillac CTS have the stuff to best Mercedes-Benz's new and sportier C350 in the Luxury class?
Can Audi's quasi-exotic R8 overcome the handicap of just two seats to outscore the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG and Lexus LS 600h L for Prestige Car honours?
Will Subaru's WRX continue its winning ways, or can the Mini Cooper S scoot past it among Sports/Performance cars under $50,000?
Can anything beat Audi's hot-performing S5 in the Sports/Performance over $50,000 class?
Does Hyundai's Entourage have the stuff to surpass Chrysler's sales-leading minivans?
Might Buick's stylish new Enclave show its tail-lights to the more established BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class?
Might Toyota's all-new Tundra make its mark by defeating GM's equally new full-size Pickup trucks?
Can GM translate its dominant position among the finalists into actual wins?
Good questions and potentially tight races all. We will let you know who wins what following AJAC's press conference to announce the category winners in Toronto on Dec. 4.
AJAC's Car-of-the-Year voting members will then re-evaluate the finalists before a final vote in January to choose the overall Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle (or Truck) of the Year.
Those winners will be announced at the 2008 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto on Feb. 14. Stay tuned!
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