Montreal – FCA Canada announced recently that the Canadian-made 2018 Chrysler Pacifica has been named Best Minivan and the 2018 Ram 1500 has been named Best Pickup Truck by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) in its annual Canadian Car and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year awards program.

AJAC is a long-running and respected national association of automotive journalists who test drive and report on new vehicles in various media outlets across the country. The annual Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards program is an integral part of the association, providing consumers with expert advice and data to inform their vehicle buying decision.

This year, AJAC’s annual Canadian Car and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year voting process was notably different. For the first time, voting was expanded to include all vehicles available to Canadian buyers, not just the vehicles that are new to the market

Chrysler Pacifica overcame eight rivals to earn the Best Minivan crown. This is the second year in a row the Windsor, Ontario-made vehicle has won its AJAC category after being named Best New Large Utility in 2017. This was the first year the segment-exclusive Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid was eligible to compete. The industry’s first electrified minivan delivers 2.6 Le/100km (109MPGe) and a range of 53 km (33 miles) solely on zero-emissions electric power from a 16-kWh lithium ion (Li-ion) battery, as well as a 911-km total gas and electric range.

The Ram 1500 defeated six rivals for its Best Pickup title. The second best-selling vehicle in Canada in 2017, the current Ram 1500 is a seasoned competitor, boasting numerous segment-exclusive features, including a unique multilink coil spring rear suspension system with optional air suspension and RamBox bedside storage. Available in a long list of unique trim levels, the Ram 1500 has a full-size pickup for everyone.

Ram brand furthered its leadership earlier this week, too, with the debut of the all-new  2019 Ram 1500 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Both it and the current version of the Ram 1500 will be sold side-by-side in 2018.

The winner of each of AJAC’s 14 categories, including Chrysler Pacifica and Ram 1500, are now eligible to be named 2018 Canadian Car of the Year or 2018 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, with those overall titles announced at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, February 15.