The New Zealand Automobile Association (AA) and NZME’s Driven are proud to announce a new partnership driving forward the premier AA Driven Car of the Year Awards for 2018.
Backed by a panel of judges drawn from the country’s finest motoring journalists and the AA, this year’s AA Driven Car of the Year Awards will pinpoint the country’s 10 top finalists, with winners announced at a cocktail event in December.
AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks said the new format will ensure that the winners of the AA Driven Car of the Year have been rigorously tested.
Read more: Driven's 2017 Car of the Year Winner
Skoda Kodiaq was AA Car of the Year and Driven's Family Chariots category winner in 2017. Photo / Ted Baghurst
“This year there’ll be an action-packed trial of each car, which gives the judges the opportunity to score from the driver’s seat – and we believe there really is no better test than that. We are also particularly excited to be partnering with NZME’s Driven, the go-to-place for everything motoring,” Stella said.
Driven editor Tony Verdon said the opportunity to evolve the AA Driven Car of the Year Awards was too good to pass up.
“For the first time Kiwis will be able to go behind the scenes with all the stories capturing the testing process, as well as bird’s eye video on the cars being put through their paces,” Tony said.
Chief Judge and Driven Editor at Large Liz Dobson said a bold new format for the premier awards won’t see an end to crowd favourites.
Read more: AA's 2017 Car of the Year finalists
“Once again the public will be determining the Driven People’s Choice Award winner. We know how popular this category is, and how much the car manufacturers want to take the title,” Liz said.
“We believe the format that we’ve come up with, is the perfect partnership of innovation, motoring history and expertise, which is exactly what the AA Driven Car of the Year Awards needs for the future,” Liz added.
AA Driven Car of the Year finalists will be announced in November, and the winner to be crowned in December.