Six vehicles have been selected as finalists for the 2015 Canadian Green Car Award.
The overall winner will be revealed Friday, March 27 at the Green Living Show, in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The finalists were selected after extensive testing and assessment by leading Canadian automotive journalists, who picked the top entries in six technology and style categories.
The finalists are:
Battery Electric:
Kia Soul EV
Plug-in Hybrid
Porsche Cayenne S E Hybrid
Hybrid
Honda Accord Hybrid
Efficient Internal Combustion
Volkswagen Golf TDI
Efficient Three-Row Family Vehicle
Kia Rondo
Fun Car
Mini Cooper S
The Canadian Green Car Award, now in its third year, recognizes vehicles that offer impressive "green" attributes combined with strong mass-market appeal, since any product can have a significant environmental impact only if it sells in large numbers.
To achieve this result, the assessments combined "objective" criteria, such as fuel economy, emissions and price, with the judges' evaluations of performance, driving experience, value, features and "green" qualities. This year a new category, "Fun Car," was added to honour vehicles that offer both good fuel economy and high performance, to emphasize that "Green" can also be synonymous with driving pleasure.
"The work of the judges gets tougher every year because cars, no matter what technology powers them and no matter what their size and price level, keep getting greener and better," said Laurie Simmonds, President and CEO of Green Living Enterprises, which operates the annual Green Living Show. "Manufacturers are continually raising the bar and widening choices, which creates difficult decisions for those involved in the award but is great news for consumers."
The competition began with judges submitting five nominees for each category. They could choose any vehicle as long as it met basic "green" criteria based on technology type and fuel economy. Vehicles that received the most support in each category became the nominees, which the judges then scored based on test drives, data from manufacturers and their own experience. Those scores produced the six category winners announced today.
This open process, in which eligibility doesn't depend on whether a manufacturer is willing to pay a substantial entry fee, is in line with other global green car awards and makes the program a very meaningful gauge for consumers.
The overall 2015 Canadian Green Car Award winner will be revealed at 11:15 a.m., Friday, March 27, at the Green Living Show in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building. All six finalists will be on display throughout the three-day show.
ABOUT THE GREEN LIVING SHOW
The Green Living Show is Canada's largest consumer show dedicated to simple solutions for leading a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. This three-day event offers inspiration for all ages and features influential speakers; eco home, cottage and garden design; local and organic food and wine tastings; health, wellness and yoga pavilions; eco fashion and green beauty makeovers; electric and hybrid car test drives; nature exhibits and fun activities for the entire family. www.greenlivingshow.ca.
ABOUT HONDA CANADA
Honda Canada Inc. was founded in 1969. It has produced more than 6.5 million cars and trucks since 1986 at its two manufacturing facilities and builds engines at a third manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ontario. Both manufacturing facilities are extremely flexible and currently build Honda Civic and CR-V models. Honda Canada has invested more than $3.9 billion in Canada and each year it sources nearly $2.1 billion in goods and services from Canadian suppliers. Honda Canada has sold more than 4 million Honda and Acura passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Canada.
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