New Zealand Car of the Year Finalists

Media Release: 4 October 2012


New Zealand Car of the Year Finalists and Vehicle Award Categories Announced

The Automobile Association and the New Zealand Motoring Writers Guild have announced the 10 vehicles they have selected as finalists for the prestigious 2012 New Zealand Car of the Year award.

In alphabetical order they are:
• BMW 3 Series
• Ford Ranger
• Honda Civic Euro
• Hyundai i40
• Mazda BT-50
• Mazda CX-5
• Range Rover Evoque
• Subaru Impreza/XV
• Toyota Prius C
• Toyota 86
David Linklater, President of the NZ Motoring Writers Guild, says “it was a difficult process to consolidate the entire year's new-vehicle releases down to just 10 vehicles, and there was certainly strong debate amongst the panel about every finalist.”

"We are particularly pleased with the diversity of the shortlist. Hybrids, crossover wagons, executive cars, genuine sports models and even double-cab utes, are all there on the list. The Guild and AA voting panel will have its work cut out to select the winner,” says Mr Linklater.

AA motoring services general manager, Stella Stocks, says the 10-vehicle shortlist represents a good cross section of new vehicles available for the Kiwi motorist to purchase.”

The AA and the Guild have also announced there will be a safety award and nine separate vehicle category awards: Small Car, Compact Car, Medium Car, Large Car, Sports/Performance Car, SUV Small/Medium, SUV Large, Luxury, and Utility.

“Motorists will also be very interested in the winners of the nine separate vehicle categories, so they can purchase the vehicle that best suits their needs - be it a small car for driving around town, or a SUV for going to the mountain. The benefit of having a safety award speaks for itself,” says Ms Stocks.

The winner of the 2012 New Zealand Car of the Year Award, and the winners of the nine separate vehicle categories and the safety award, will be publicly announced in Auckland on 12 December.


Ends

Note for media:

The finalist selections for the New Zealand Car of the Year have been made by a panel of four Guild members and one representative from the AA. Each finalist was selected from a list of more than 30 new vehicles that were launched onto the New Zealand market between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012. Each finalist also needed to have been test driven by more than half of the 36 Members of the Guild who will comprise the voting panel.

While only vehicles released in the last 12 months are eligible for the New Zealand Car of the Year, the category winners are selected from the entire range of new vehicles currently on sale. Guild voting for the category winners is separate from the voting for the Car of the Year. The safety award will go to the vehicle that gets the highest overall score in the ANCAP new car crash testing.

The winner of the New Zealand Car of the Year award will receive the uniquely shaped Peter Greenslade trophy. This has been presented to the winner of the Guild’s annual award since 1988 and recognises the memory and contribution of the late Peter Greenslade, a highly respected New Zealand motoring writer.

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