Hyundai scoops five awards at AA Car of the Year

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015

Hyundai scoops five awards at AA Car of the Year

The new Hyundai Tucson has won the coveted People’s Choice trophy at the AA Car of the Year Awards gala event Wednesday evening as part of a dominant sweep of category awards by the brand.

Hyundai New Zealand General Manager Andy Sinclair says Hyundai took five awards, winning Best Luxury Car and Safest Car 2015 (Hyundai Genesis); Best Large SUV (Hyundai Santa Fe); Best Medium SUV and People’s Choice (Hyundai Tucson). He says all five awards are a humbling but fitting accolade for the brand, while winning the People’s Choice award just months after launch is a “fantastic” endorsement of the Tucson and of Hyundai’s relationship with its family of owners.

“We are a New Zealand company and we are all about our people; our staff, our dealerships and owners alike. To win an award voted by the people of New Zealand for an advanced new medium SUV like Tucson is a wonderful validation of our emphasis on class-leading design, user-friendly technology and superb driveability. I’d like to thank all those who voted for Tucson in this award,” he said.

Almost 35,000 people voted in the People’s Choice category, where Tucson faced stiff opposition from the nine other COTY contenders, all with their own particular strengths and unique features.

“To win against some worthy rival offerings from a wide range of brands is a testament to the desirability of the new Tucson, which is fast on its way to becoming the vehicle of choice in New Zealand’s white-hot medium SUV segment,” said Mr Sinclair.

The COTY judges agreed: ”Once again, Hyundai shifts the goal posts. The Tucson offers the amenity and ability of a much larger vehicle, coupled with great driving dynamics in its front wheel and all wheel drive powertrains. It was also the first to launch Apple’s CarPlay infotainment.”

The latest accolade for the Hyundai Santa Fe builds on its win in the large SUV category in 2014 and comes as New Zealand’s most popular large SUV receives a model year refresh intended to help it maintain top spot in the coming year.

The AA COTY judges named the Genesis best luxury vehicle and safest car of 2015, saying “with the Genesis, Hyundai has presented the luxury market with a five-star car that goes well above what is expected to achieve the rating. Alongside its near perfect crash test performance the Genesis has a large suite of safety assist technologies as standard.”

The safety award is based on the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) where the Genesis recorded a near perfect crash test score, the best ever in the ANCAP programme’s 22 year history.

“This strong showing in New Zealand’s premier automotive awards demonstrates Hyundai’s absolute commitment to providing our customers with the vehicles they desire, vehicles that ideally suit our unique lifestyle. The coming year is going to be very exciting,” Andy said.

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