Mazda6 named Canadian Car of the Year as Toronto autoshow opens

The Mazda6 was crowned the 2014 Canadian Car of the Year as the 41st Canadian International Auto Show opened here Thursday. The Mazda6 beat two other finalists, the Mazda3 and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, to win the title. It's now the second time Mazda Canada has won car of the year - given out by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) which consists of a panel of 80 journalists - with its Mazda3 first earning it in 2004. "Today, the Mazda6, our flagship vehicle, etched its name in history by winning the overall AJAC Car of the Year award," said Kory Koreeda, the president of Mazda Canada, in a release. "This impressive achievement confirms what we already knew - the 2014 Mazda6 is nothing short of a Game Changer, once again raising the bar and outclassing other cars in its segment." The mid-size Mazda6 sedan, which competes in a class with cars like the Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, and Toyota Camry, features the company's Skyactive technology with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 184 horsepower at 5,700 rpm. There were many other awards that were handed out, including the utility vehicle of the year, which was given out to the Jeep Cherokee. The annual Canadian International Auto Show, which draws over 300,000 visitors a year, brings over 125 exhibitors and 1,000 cars and trucks on display for car aficionados. And this year, it includes 35 cars that are showing up in Canada for the first time. Kicking off with a media preview day Thursday, the 10-day event will be open to the public on Feb. 14-23.