Chrysler Pacifica Named 2018 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year by Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

  • Award came via a year’s worth of voting and real-world testing by expert national automotive critics evaluating all vehicles available to Canadian buyers
  • 2018 Canadian Utility Vehicle of Year recognition adds to a list of accolades that have made Chrysler Pacifica the most awarded minivan of the past two years
  • Chrysler Pacifica is made in Canada at the award-winning Windsor Assembly Plant alongside the segment-exclusive Pacifica Hybrid, which competed for the first time
  • Chrysler Pacifica reinvents the minivan segment with an unprecedented level of functionality, versatility, technology and bold styling
February 15, 2018 , Windsor, Ontario -  The Canadian-made 2018 Chrysler Pacifica minivan has been named the 2018 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The exciting announcement came today during a press conference at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario.

Considered one of Canada’s most prestigious automotive awards, the Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year (CUVOTY) winner is decided on by votes and real-world testing from nearly 100 expert automobile critics from across the country.

This year, AJAC’s annual Canadian Car and CUVOTY voting process was notably different. For the first time, voting was expanded to include all vehicles available to Canadian buyers, not just vehicles that are new to the marketplace. AJAC's voting journalists were able to score vehicles against all their competition, whether they were all-new for 2018 or returning models. Almost 3,000 ballots were cast on 182 vehicles, including at Test Fest, a multi-day October event attended by more than 60 journalists from across the country.

“There’s an extra air of significance when one of our homegrown products wins a domestic award,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, FCA Canada. “Chrysler Pacifica’s recognition as 2018’s Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year reinforces its position as the most awarded minivan of the last two years, and provides important third-party validation for the exclusive suite of versatility, style, safety and technology that it brings to Canadians.”

AJAC is a long-running and respected national association of automotive journalists who test drive and report on new vehicles in various media outlets across the country. The annual Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards program is an integral part of the association, providing consumers with expert advice and data to inform their vehicle buying decision.

Earlier this year, Chrysler Pacifica was named Best Minivan of 2018 by AJAC. This marked the second year in a row the Windsor, Ontario-made vehicle has won its AJAC category, after being named Best New Large Utility in 2017. This was the first year the segment-exclusive Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid was eligible to compete. The industry’s first electrified minivan delivers 2.6 Le/100km (109MPGe) and a range of 53 km (33 miles) solely on zero-emissions electric power from a 16-kWh lithium ion (Li-ion) battery, as well as a 911-km total gas and electric range.
 
FCA Canada
Founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, FCA Canada Inc. is based in Windsor, Ontario, and celebrates its 97th anniversary in 2022. FCA Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of FCA, a North American automaker based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA Canada has approximately 440 dealers that sell Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, FIAT and Alfa Romeo products, as well as SRT performance products. The company also distributes Mopar and Alfa Romeo parts and accessories. In addition to its assembly facilities, which produce the Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Chrysler Voyager and Chrysler Grand Caravan (Windsor) and Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger (Brampton), FCA Canada operates an aluminum casting plant in Etobicoke, a research and development centre in Windsor, and has sales offices and parts distribution centers throughout the country.  
 

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