At a press conference of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) held at the Toronto Congress Center at the country’s capital, twelve vehicles from twelve “Car of the Year” categories were awarded as “Best New” for 2008.


Giving recognition to the vehicles is the AJAC’s means of giving Canadians honest comparative information about new vehicles debuting in the country’s auto market. To stand for this cause, the organization made the information about each vehicle that made it on the list in their website ready for consumer access. To come up with the vehicle’s data, AJAC conducted a series of evaluation for the 177 new vehicles which initially made it as entries. The four day vehicle tests were held last October 29-November 2, 2007 at the Niagara-on-the-lake in Ontario. This yearly vehicle assessment had been famed in the global auto industry as the “TestFest”.

For the data to be reliable reflecting real life consumer driving experiences, the TestFest’s evaluation program includes the typical driving at public roads. At the site, 70 Journalists get to pick their bet by means of driving the cars back to back themselves on the same roads, day and under the same weather conditions to avoid bias. Seventeen evaluation parameters are used that basically include driver position and ergonomics, engine smoothness, steering, handling, visibility and styling both in the exterior and interior of the vehicle. With these filtering program, winning vehicles are really the best in their kind.

2008 CCOTY Co-chairman Paul Williams commented, "In my opinion, the AJAC Canadian Car of the Year awards are founded on the most objective, informed and thorough evaluation process you'll find. The evaluations are based on back-to-back testing in real-world situations. They're a uniquely Canadian resource for people looking to buy a new vehicle".

The 2008 category winners are:

BEST NEW SMALL CAR: Saturn Astra
BEST NEW FAMILY CAR: Honda Accord EX Sedan
BEST NEW LUXURY CAR: Mercedes-Benz C Class
BEST NEW PRESTIGE CAR (over $75,000): Audi R8
BEST NEW SPORTS/PERFORMANCE CAR under $50,000: MINI Cooper S
BEST NEW SPORTS/PERFORMANCE CAR over $50,000: Audi S5
BEST NEW CONVERTIBLE: BMW 335i Cabriolet
BEST NEW MINIVAN: Hyundai Entourage
BEST NEW PICKUP TRUCK: Chevrolet Silverado
BEST NEW SUV/CUV under $35,000: Nissan Rogue
BEST NEW SUV/CUV $35,000 - $60,000: Saturn Vue
BEST NEW SUV/CUV over $60,000: Buick Enclave

Aside from the twelve “Best New” awards, AJAC also awarded the Audi R8 as the “Most Coveted Vehicle”. The AJAC started recognizing vehicles as the “Most Coveted Vehicle” in 2005 giving honor to a dream car. The vehicle, to be a winner must gain the interests of car enthusiasts enough for them to say that it’s the vehicle they would buy in case they win in a lottery.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently named the thirty-four 2008 model year vehicles which were given their highest safety rating. Called the Top Safety Pick award, the system is developed to name the best vehicles in the market in terms of protecting its occupants in the unfortunate event of a crash. The IIHS tests vehicles for their adequacy in protecting motorists during, frontal, side, and rear crashes. Vehicles should be rated highly at the said tests before they could be given the Top Safety Pick award.

"For 2008, consumers have the widest selection of vehicles they've ever had that afford the best protection in the most common kinds of crashes," said Adrian Lund, the president of the IIHS. Since safety is one of the major concerns of auto buyers, the Top Safety Pick rating will help them in their decision of which new vehicle to buy.

Lund pointed out that an ESC can be of great help to keep motorists away from accidents. "Vehicles should be designed to provide good occupant protection when crashes occur, but now with ESC we have the possibility of preventing many crashes altogether," he said. "If all vehicles were equipped with ESC, as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided each year."

ESC comes in various names as automakers have different names for this system. Chevrolet vehicles with StabiliTrak are actually equipped with ESC. StabiliTrak is Chevrolet’s name for the ESC. For Nissan, it goes by the name of Vehicle Dynamic Control. Ford calls it the Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control or RSC.

Some of the vehicles included in the list are the Honda Accord, Audi A3, Subaru Impreza, BMW X5, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tundra, Ford Taurus, and the Volvo XC90.

Auto experts say that women prefer chic and fun cars.

Earlier, NBC divulged the top ten flirtiest cars. First on the list is the Volkswagen Beetle. Statistically, the Volkswagen Beetle is the most popular car for women, with 57 percent of all buyers of Beetles since July having been women, according to JD Power and Associates. The starting price $16,400 and its uniqueness seem to be the feminine appeal of the car.

"Females, they have a much better sense of styling than men," said Tom Lisle, the general manager of Denny Hecker VW Dealership in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. "I think they like being different."

The Volkswagen Jetta continues to be one of the most popular automobiles for young women, "(The Jetta) is especially popular with college students," Yos noted. "It's a fun, very affordable car. It's safe, sporty, and we have a great college graduate program."

Third on the list is the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. While it has fallen in popularity in the last two years, the Eclipse Spyder was the most popular car for women in 2005, according to JDPA, with 65 percent of all buyers being female.

Next in line is another VW car – the Eos. Yos, however, views the car as appealing to an almost solely female clientele, mostly in their 30s. "I think I've only sold one male an Eos so far. It's definitely a female-driven car," he said. "I think it definitely has an elegant feel to it, just a really sleek line."

BMW enters the list with its captivating Z4. The Z4 is engineered to cater to auto fetishes of successful, young women. Even for those who cannot afford the car, the Z4 still is still their option.

And also Toyota RAV4, a sleek SUV. "It has a sporty feel, but you're still high enough up so you feel like you have the security of an SUV, but with great gas mileage," Yos said. "It's very inexpensive. You can get Rav-4's for as little as $20,000. They're real great starter cars."

Completing the list are the Honda CR-V, Pontiac Solstice, Mini Cooper, and the Mazda Miata.

After giving actor Will Ferrell the first model of BMW Hydrogen 7, the German automaker now rolls out the BMW Hydrogen 7 into Jay Leno's garage. The BMW Hydrogen 7 is now on Leno's so called "green garage". BMW gave the Hydrogen 7 to Jay Leno as a part of the company’s Hydrogen 7 Pioneer Program aims to promote the use of hydrogen fuel in the automotive industry.

Honda though is not the only automaker which has developed a vehicle that is fueled by hydrogen. German automaker BMW has also developed the Hydrogen 7 - a hydrogen-powered luxury sedan. The German automaker gave keys of the Hydrogen 7 to several celebrities including Will Ferrell. "As an avid car enthusiast I'm always interested in the future of automotive technology," says Leno. I look forward to driving the Hydrogen 7 and learning more about hydrogen as a fuel for our future."

Although it is a production model, the car is not yet for sale. With BMW's expertise in engineering and resources, the Hydrogen 7 is not surprisingly a clean car with the performance to boot. And since it is a luxury car, it is filled with technological amenities that one can usually find in any BMW car.

Some celebrities and other personalities also wanted the BMW Hydrogen 7 on their garage include:

- Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the "Ocean's 13" premiere in Hollywood
- Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori at the FOX All-Star Party in Santa Monica Richard Gere and Sharon Stone at the Cinema for Peace Gala in Berlin
- "An Inconvenient Truth" producer Davis Guggenheim
- Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck at the 2007 Academy Awards
- German Federal Minister for Economy and Technology Michael Glos
- Günter Verheugen ( Vice President of the European Commission)
- World renowned soprano Anna Netrebko

The design characteristics of the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe Concept combine the elegance and sporty features of a BMW Coupe with the bold and aggressive features of BMW X. This model will also feature the German automaker's intelligent xDrive all wheel drive technology. The design of BMW Concept X6 is the authentic visualisation of outstanding driving qualities borne out by the car mainly through BMW’s intelligent xDrive technology as well as Dynamic Performance Control.

Outside, the BMW Concept X6 comes with sleek exterior body styling with numerous design features from BMW. The optical balance of the front and rear wheels clearly visible from the side bears convincing testimony to BMW’s intelligent xDrive all-wheel-drive technology.

Other exterior highlights of the BMW Concept X6 include convex and concave surfaces, striking front view, extra-large BMW kidney grille, air intake with robust slats, headlights cut in a sharp profile, clear accentuation of the side panels,. wheel arches with flared contours, bumper elements finished in body colour, innovative designed rear lights, exhaust tailpipes and horizontal lines that emphasize wide track, dark paintwork, sill trim at the side, chrome coloured slats, foglamps with special surrounds in the outer air intakes, chrome plated tailpipes, milled aluminium on the underfloor, Y-spoke design light alloy wheels measuring 21 inches, exterior mirrors with a white-glistening strip of lights between the lower unit finished in body color, muscular bumper with classic design elements, rear lid integrated with a striking air flow contour lip, L-shape rear lightsand indicator lines integrated in the rear lights.

The aesthetic and aerodynamic components complement the exterior features of the BMW Concept X6. The car features a dynamically flowing coupé roofline with a high sill-line, muscular wheel arches, strong centre of gravity, offering a sporty and elegant driving feel. A rear spoiler completes the car's aerodynamic package.