Subaru Outback named 2010 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year

TORONTO, Feb. 11 /CNW/ - In an early morning press conference at the opening of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the Subaru Outback was declared the 2010 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

The Subaru Outback was chosen over three other "best new" category winners from the Sport Utility / Crossover categories announced October 30, 2009 to garner the top honours as the overall best "Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year".

Mr. Katsuhiro Yokoyama, President and CEO, commented: "It is a great honour to accept this award. To receive this tribute from the members of AJAC tells us very clearly that thoughtful design, first-class engineering, exceptional safety, and outstanding value are qualities that keep the Subaru brand strong."

AJAC's Canadian Car of the Year Awards chair, Richard Russell, said: "AJAC has been conducting and perfecting the Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the year program for more than two decades. By constantly adjusting the program and testing procedures to reflect what is important to Canadian consumers, we feel we have a more thorough, unbiased and meaningful award than any other. It is heartening to learn from independent research that Canadians recognize the significance of the award. We will continue to strive to live up to that trust.".

AJAC's annual Canadian Car of the Year awards program was created in 1985 with the purpose of providing consumers with sound, comparative information on vehicles that are new to the market.

Unlike other awards, this is not a popularity contest based on the opinions of a few people. Our winners are determined on a combination of measured facts and subjective evaluations of more than 20 parameters by approximately 70 journalists - more than 46,000 pieces of data in all. And most importantly, they are based on actual testing of the vehicles - back-to-back; on the same roads and in the same conditions on the same day.