Car awards a factor in choice
At the first media day at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto (Feb. 12-21), the Canadian Automobile Journalists of Canada (AJAC) will announce the 2016 overall Canadian Car of the Year and the Canadian Truck of the Year.
These awards are the Academy Awards for the auto industry in Canada, with considerable buildup and excitement leading up to the big announcements.
In addition to the Car and Truck of the Year awards, AJAC also chooses winners in other categories, including small car, family car and luxury car, etc. The winners in these categories were announced in late November 2015, and the comparative results are posted to the AJAC website (ajac.ca).
For consumers who are looking to buy, the AJAC evaluations provide an unbiased analysis of all of the eligible vehicles within several categories, not just the winning models.
AJAC members evaluate a range of features on each model, using objective and subjecting criteria. These features include styling, visibility, ergonomics, appearance, comfort, performance, braking, steering, fuel economy and emissions.
AJAC members put vehicles through a rigorous series of tests over several days, and each member brings years of training and expertise to the task at hand. These auto journalists take their responsibilities seriously and provide essential feedback for the retail automobile industry and consumers.
Auto manufacturers and new car dealers whose vehicles have been chosen as winners waste little time exploiting the good news to their advantage. Top-ranked vehicles attract widespread media attention and earning a prominent award is generally good for business.
Many studies have proved that car awards have a powerful effect on car sales. According to AJAC, “the influ- ence on buyers of the Canadian Car of the Year in 1999 was 45 per cent. In 2002, that percentage rose to 47.5 per cent. While in 2005, the survey confirmed an influence of 58.4 per cent.”
A few years ago, a survey by U.S.based AutoPacific reported that car awards based on safety ratings and owner ratings were the two largest contributing factors in a person’s buying decision.
On a personal note, several of the Ford models that I represent (Ford F-150 and Ford Mustang) have won numerous awards in recent months, and this news has created a lot of positive press for the Ford brand in the mainstream press and on social media.
Sales managers and salespeople are delighted if one of their models wins an award, and they are quick to share this news with customers and prospects. It gives salespeople an opportunity to discuss the benefits of their models over their competitors’.
Car awards are a valuable indicator of a vehicle’s overall quality and performance, and I encourage car shoppers to seek out this information when researching which brand and model to buy.
My advice would be to find the most respected awards programs, study the results carefully and factor that information into your buying decision. AJAC, Consumer Reports, Motor Trend and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (U.S.) are among the most widely respected and influential awards among manufacturers, journalists and consumers.
Once again, the TADA is proud to support Prostate Cancer Canada. This year, our association has donated a custom 2016 Audi S5 (valued at more than $119,443) for the Rock the Road Raffle. For ticket information, visit rocktheroadraffle.ca.
For information about where the auto industry is going — or if you’re looking for new career opportunities — visit carsandjobs.com. This column represents the views of TADA. Write president@tada.ca or go to tada.ca. Doug Sullivan is president of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association and is a new-car dealer in Huntsville, Ont.