South Korea's leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday its Avante
compact has been named best car of the year by Canadian journalists.
The Avante, called the Elantra in North America, was named the 2012 Canadian Car
of the Year at the Canadian International Auto Show that runs through Feb. 26 in
Toronto. The award is given by the Automobile Journalists Association of
Canada.
The Hyundai compact car acquired the highest score of 802
points, beating Kia Motor Corp.'s Optima, called the K5 in South Korea, which
received 786 points. Kia is Hyundai's smaller sister company and is part of the
Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth largest carmaker.
Avante's
latest accolade comes after the car was named the 2012 North American Car of the
Year award last month. That award was given by a panel of independent automotive
journalists at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Other vehicles made by Hyundai Motor's swept other segments of the Canadian
awards. Its Accent subcompact was named the best new small car (under
US$21,000), while the popular Veloster took the sports and performance car
(under $50,000) award.
The Avante, in addition, won the best new small
car (over $21,000) award.
Kia also won two titles. The Optima topped
the best new family car (under $30,000) list and the Optima Hybrid was awarded
the best new family car (over $30,000) honor.
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