Hyundai and Kia win two awards for "Car of the Year" in Canada... Palisade and EV9 receive awards

(TUSER PARABOLA=Jae-sung Kim, reporter) The flagship models of Hyundai Motor and Kia proved their performance in the Canadian automotive market.

Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 13th that the Hyundai Palisade won the "2026 Canada Vehicle of the Year" and the Kia EV9 won the "2026 Canada Electric Vehicle of the Year" at the 2026 Canada International Auto Show held in Toronto.

The 2026 Canadian Car of the Year is selected through test drives and voting by a jury consisting of 53 local automotive experts and journalists, and awards are given in four categories: passenger cars, utility vehicles, electric passenger cars, and electric utility vehicles.

Among these, the passenger vehicle category includes sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and wagons, while the utility vehicle category includes sports utility vehicles (SUVs), crossover utility vehicles (CUVs), vans, and trucks.

Hyundai Motor Group has been named Canada's Car of the Year twice in a row for four consecutive years, thanks to the Palisade and EV9. In particular, it has won the award for the Palisade this year, following the GV80 in 2021, Tucson in 2022, Ioniq 5 in 2023, and Santa Fe in 2025.

The Canada's Car of the Year jury evaluated the Palisade as "a vehicle with outstanding competitiveness, featuring an attractive combination of performance and fuel efficiency in its next-generation hybrid powertrain, along with a variety of safety systems."

The jury also explained that the EV9 "offers a GT option with powerful performance of over 500 horsepower, adding to its sophisticated style, and provides the best three-row electric vehicle in terms of overall value, price, and size."

A Hyundai Motor Group official said, "We will continue to focus on safety, technology, and engineering capabilities to strive to provide vehicles with the highest level of productiveness and quality."

Kim Jae-sung reporter (sorrykim@zdnet.co.kr)