Voting is now open for 2016 New Zealand Car of the Year People’s Choice award.

The People’s Choice vote provides an opportunity for the public to have its say on which of the top 10 New Zealand Car of the Year finalists, announced in early October, deserves a gong.

Everyone who votes for their People’s Choice will go into a draw to win a 10-night Pacific cruise for two that takes in four stops in both Fiji and Tonga.

For the second year, autotrader.co.nz has partnered with the AA to help ensure people can pick their favourite out of the line-up.

The New Zealand Car of the Year is selected from new to market vehicles released in the 12 months to the end of September 2016. There are also 10 best in class awards, the winners of which are selected from any new car in each category in the market today.

For the second year, People’s Choice takes the New Zealand Car of the Year Awards a step further to bring another voice to the table, which reflects both the preference of the market for the vehicles and also the ability of those marketing them to stand out.

AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks says the Car of the Year is selected after the collective votes from the AA and the New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild on a range of features are tallied.

“Those eligible to vote have each spent at least three days driving each of the cars in the top 10 and need to select the best based on elements that include value, design and quality. Similarly, a winner in each vehicle category is selected,” Ms Stocks says.

The People’s Choice provides another set of judges, those who might buy the cars on offer, with a say.

“It’s a different set of rules with the People’s Choice. Members of the guild need to be objective in their selection, ignore marketing hype and flashy car launches. With People’s Choice, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and simple surface appeal can have a huge impact, and that reflects how people begin to make a decision on what to buy, which is hugely relevant.”

People’s Choice voting is online and those participating have the chance to double their chances of winning the cruise if they share their vote on Facebook.

The New Zealand Car of the Year People’s Choice is run in conjunction with the AA and autotrader.co.nz, owned by Bauer Media Group.

Bauer Trader General Manager Terry Williams King says a great car shopping experience usually involves a great car dealership.

“This is why we’re proud and honoured to be associated with an event that recognises excellence in the motoring industry.”

Those who vote in the People’s Choice have the choice of winning one of many spot prizes and also go into the draw to win a grand prize of a 10 day Pacific island cruise departing from and returning to Auckland.

The top 10 finalists for the New Zealand Car of the Year and People’s Choice, in alphabetical order, are:

• Holden Spark
• Honda Civic
• Kia Sportage
• Mazda CX-9
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Mercedes-Benz GLC
• Skoda Superb
• Subaru Levorg
• Suzuki Vitara
• Volkswagen Tiguan 

Last year the Hyundai Tucson received the People’s Choice crown, while the BMW i3 was named the New Zealand Car of the Year.

People’s Choice voting closes on 30 November.

The winning vehicle will be announced at the New Zealand Car of the Year at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on 7 December.

Ends

For more information contact:
Liam Baldwin
Communications Manager
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. +64 9 927 2511
M. +64 21 277 2118
W. www.aa.co.nz
The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with more than one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay more than $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.