Mazda’s CX-9 has been crowned as the 2016 carsales.com.au Car of the Year. The all-new seven-seater is the first SUV to win the prestigious title.
“Mazda CX-9 is the first vehicle of its type to win carsales.com.au Car of the Year,” carsales.com.au Editor in Chief, Mike Sinclair, said at the announcement of the winners in the 2016 awards this morning.
“SUVs are quickly becoming the vehicle of choice for Australian families but some of the genre demand real compromises in terms of handling, safety and performance. The CX-9 is the antithesis of this atmosphere of compromise – it is not only an important new vehicle, it is an outstanding one.
“As a true 21st Century Aussie family vehicle, the CX-9 is a deserved winner of our top award for 2016,” Sinclair stated.
Mazda is one of the industry’s top performers and boasts Australia’s top-selling small and medium SUVs year to date. The CX-9 looks set to be another sales success for the brand.
“We are thrilled that the CX-9 has been awarded the carsales.com.au Car of the Year,” state Mazda Australia Managing Director Martin Benders.
“The CX-9 is the best expression of Mazda’s new generation line-up; with a sophisticated design, engaging driving experience and state-of-the-art technology. It also proves that families that need a seven-seat SUV need not compromise on function and style,” he said.
The carsales.com au Car of the Year awards includes a range of consumer-oriented category winners. The categories are based on commonly searched vehicle lifestyle segments and align with search options on the carsales.com.au website.
This year’s category winners included Audi’s all-new A4 luxury sedan and Ford’s hottest new affordable sports hatch, the all-wheel drive Focus RS. Audi and Ford vehicles took out three category wins each. A full list of winners is below.
For more details on the 2016 carsales.com.au Car of the Year awards and to read more about the awards criteria and judging process, check out our carsales.com.au Car of the Year feature here.
2016 carsales.com.au Car of the Year category winners:
Best First Car: Skoda Fabia
Best City Car: Audi A3 Sportback e-tron
Best Family Car Under $30K: Skoda Octavia
Best Family Car Over $30K: Mazda6
Best Green Car: BMW i3 ReX
Best Offroad 4x4: Ford Ranger
Best Performance Car Under $100K: Ford Focus RS
Best Performance Car Over $100K: Porsche 911 Carrera S
Best Prestige Car Under $100K: Audi A4
Best Prestige Car Over $100K: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Best SUV Under $50K: Mazda CX-9
Best SUV Over $50K: Audi Q7
Best Tradie vehicle: Ford Ranger