Canada’s AutoTrader has announced its 2022 automotive awards, and when it comes to green vehicles and tech innovation, Tesla didn’t make the cut.
In the “Green Vehicles Under $50K CAD” category (about $40K USD), five finalists included the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (EV); Kia Soul (EV); Tesla Model 3 (EV), Toyota RAV4 Hybrid / RAV4 Prime (Hybrid/PHEV); and Volkswagen ID.4 (EV).
In an announcement live-streamed on Monday morning, AutoTrader editors picked the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and RAV4 plug-in hybrid Prime. Editors raved over their love of the gas-version of the RAV4, but noted the hybrid and Prime versions were even more efficient.
In another category, for best “Green Vehicle Over $50K CAD” (over $40K USD), finalists included the Ford F-150 / F-150 Lightning (Hybrid/EV), Ford Mustang Mach-E (EV), Polestar 2 (EV), Porsche Taycan / Taycan Cross Turismo (EV) and Jeep Wrangler 4xe (PHEV). Tesla vehicles were not part of this final list.
The winner of this category was the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Editors raved it was a “well-deserved win”, noting the Mach-E is “so well-rounded. Looks so cool. Drives so nice.”
AutoTrader’s announced said the Mach-E “will do a lot to make EVs more desirable. I know Tesla is really good at that right now, but I think it’s really cool to see a mainstream automaker step up.”
Editors still gave the Mach-E the win despite its performance wasn’t applauded, while also noting it was “one of the first mainstream EVs with all-wheel drive” (what about the Model 3 and Y AWD versions?).
https://youtu.be/q7sycjITjlg
As for ‘Best New Tech Innovation’, that went to Ford’s onboard power inverter. Other finalists included Ford’s Onboard Weight Scales; Augmented Reality Head-Up Display; Mercedes – MBUX Hyperscreen; and Volvo/GM – Android Automotive OS.
Most Trusted Car Brand Voted: Toyota; But Tesla with Honorable Votes
When it came to voting by “thousands” of Canadians for the Canada’s choice award, Toyota was voted the “most trusted” car brand. AutoTrader said it was “surprised” Tesla was one of the finalists.
“I remember when we first saw the results, that there were some votes for Tesla. And that was hilarious to me,” said AutoTrader Road Test Editor, Dan Ilika.
Editor in Chief of AutoTrader.ca Jodi Lai stepped in to reply, “Lots of people love their Teslas.”
“I just thought, you know, Tesla gets ‘most trusted’…I dunno,” answered Ilika.
The Toyota Prius and Prius Prime for most-trusted ‘green car’, voted by Canadians back in October.
The win is somewhat ironic, considering Toyota was quietly lobbying against electric vehicles in the U.S. back in July.
“A jury of more than 20 expert automotive journalists reviewed over 300 vehicles before voting for the top candidates in each category. A majority of the experts sit on the judging panel for a number of automotive awards. Finalists were evaluated against 12 specific criteria, including: overall excellence, value, innovation, technology and features, user-friendliness, performance, engineering excellence, driver satisfaction, design, safety, quality, and efficiency – weighted according to segment,” explained AutoTrader’s voting criteria.
