Genesis and Toyota Win Big in 2024 Canadian Car of the Year Awards
Toyota locked out the gas-powered categories, while Genesis swept the all-electric ones.
Big news out of the Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) as the Toyota Prius nabbed the Canadian Car of the Year title for 2024. The Prius, along with the Grand Highlander, Genesis Electrified G80 and Electrified GV70, earned top marks from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).
The AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY) saw a massive restructure this year, with a simplification to four categories. While the Prius won CCOTY, Toyota snapped up the other pure internal combustion engine (ICE) category—Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year—with the impressive new Grand Highlander.
Meanwhile, luxury brand Genesis locked out the Canadian Electric Car and Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year awards with the Electrified G80 and Electrified GV70, respectively. Korea dominated these categories: of the six combined finalists five were Korean, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, plus the Kia EV9.
The Electrified G80 is the second win for the mid-sized sedan, which scored a category win in 2021 for the gas-powered model. As a converted ICE vehicle instead of a fully ground-up EV, the Genesis also continues a trend for the awards: the BMW i4, itself an EV remix of a gas model, won the overall CCOTY title last year.
"AJAC is proud to present our highest honors to the 2024 Canadian Car of the Year Awards winners, marking the cars, trucks and SUVs that our members have voted to be the best vehicles on sale in Canada this year," said Evan Williams, AJAC President. "AJAC members represent the country's largest and most diverse group of automotive experts. We test vehicles from coast to coast on the same roads and in the same conditions that Canadians experience every day. When the time came to decide, our members cast nearly 2,000 ballots. Our depth of experience and expertise is how we know Canadians can count on our assessments and on the Canadian Car of the Year Awards when it comes time to choose their own next vehicle."
The AJAC Canadian Car of the Year awards celebrate the best of the best, with all 2024 model-year cars, trucks, and utility vehicles eligible. Both managing editor Mike Schlee and myself are voting members.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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