Autoblog

KBB 2013 Brand Image Awards has some obvious and oddball winners

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., BMW, Buick, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche, Toyota

The sixth edition of the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards have crowned a wide range of winners - in a couple of cases the recipient of the laurels might say more about KBB users than they do about the actual winner. Compiled from the responses of more than 12,000 shoppers on KBB.com over the past year, there are 13 categories broken into non-luxury, luxury and truck segments "representing the combined wisdom of the American car-buying public."

The award categories have been revamped this year, with some dropping off, some new ones appearing and at least one other given a new term. What isn't surprising is that Honda won Most Trusted Brand for the second year running, Best Value Brand for the third year in a row and took Best Overall Brand, which wasn't on last year's list of awards.

On our own shores, in the non-luxury categories Chrysler got Most Refined Brand and Buick took Best Value Luxury Brand. Neither one of those marques won anything in last year's Brand Image Awards, while Cadillac, which won Best Interior Design Brand and Best Comfort Brand last year - those awards disappeared this year - went home without a single accolade.

Winners that made us go "Hmmm..." are Toyota for Best Overall Truck Brand and Mini for Best Performance Brand in the non-luxury segment. Last year's truck award was for the Most Rugged Truck Brand and was won by Ford; the switch to "overall" takes things in a completely different direction for KBB users, it seems. And Mini dominating non-luxury performance is something we'd like to hold some focus groups to find out more about.

Check out the press release below for all the winners and the details.

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KBB 2013 Brand Image Awards has some obvious and oddball winners originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Mar 2013 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:44:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Acura, BMW, Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, Toyota

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."

Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.

Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playboy reveals its 2013 Cars of the Year

Seyth Miersma — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:27:00 EST

Filed under: BMW, Cadillac, Honda, Mazda, Porsche

Vaunted men's magazine Playboy knows that its readers are nearly as interested in cars as they are in the female anatomy... sorry, we thought we could write that with a straight face. Anyway, the buff-book does occasionally fill some of its spreads with sexy metal, to accent all the rest of the sexiness.

To wit, the magazine has unveiled its feature on the 2013 Cars of the Year. Without giving us much in the way of criteria for the awards, nor a clear framing of the categories ("Responsible Ride" is a particularly challenging concept, especially when you consider that the Mazdaspeed3 was the winner), Playboy has nevertheless highlighted what we assume to be it's favorite 12 or 13 (depending on how you count) cars from the 2013 model year.

Headlining the class is the Porsche 911, which Playboy writers single out for having "remarkable electronic voodoo." BMW M5 is named "Slickest Sports Sedan" though the Cadillac ATS then follows on because "we couldn't resist giving the new Caddy a shout-out." The rest of the picks are pretty conventional (save, perhaps, the Honda Fit EV as "Ace Electric"), even if the categories and methodology are fairly wonky. Cruise through or gallery for a taste or check out the full list, here. The site is safe for work, and you can legitimately (this time) say that you were reading it for the articles.

Playboy reveals its 2013 Cars of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen

It was just nine months ago that Strategic Vision announced its 2011 Total Value Awards, but you don't have to wait until next year for the 2012 awards. The Volkswagen Group keeps its lead as the number one brand, with seven products taking top category spots: Golf, Jetta Wagon, CC, Eos and Audi A3 Wagon, Q5 and Q7. Strategic Vision says "true innovation" - "rich and impactful, intuitive, motivational, in-depth and is able to trigger description by the user in great specificity" - is the open secret of the brands with the strongest showings. Results are culled from 77,153 owners covering more than 350 new cars bought between September of 2011 and 2012 ranked in the Total Value Index (TVI).

Other notable winners are Hyundai-Kia following VW in the brand category and having the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Sorento among category winners, the BMW Z4 taking the premium roadster category and the highest overall score of any vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt continuing to gather silverware in the Special Category, nabbing the second-highest score of all and representative of "nearly perfect innovation," and Chrysler and Dodge being most improved.

Check out the press release below for your day's dose of jargon and all the winners.

Continue reading Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision

Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda CX-5 named Japan's Car of The Year, Subaru BR-Z wins "Special Award"

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:33:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Sedan, Japan, Crossover, BMW, Land Rover, Mazda, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, Luxury

The Mazda CX-5 stamped its Kodo design and SkyActiv technology authority all over the Japan Car of the Year awards, taking the top prize ahead of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86. It is Mazda's second victory in the last ten years, the 2005 MX-5 claiming the same trophy, and the fourth time the Hiroshima company has won.

The award is decided by 60 local "automotive experts and journalists," and open to any passenger car released in Japan from November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2012 that has sold more than 500 units. Each judge gets 25 votes, his or her top vote getting 10 points, the rest of the points being spread among the judge's choice for the next best four cars.

The second-place getters were the Toyobaru twins with 318 votes, the surprise being they didn't beat or get any closer to the crossover. The Subaru BRZ did claw some mojo back, earning the Special Award given to cars that have made "an exceptional impact." The BMW 3 Series was third overall and won the Import Car of the Year award with plenty of room between it and the second place Range Rover Evoque.

The full list of winners is below, along with press releases from the organization and the manufacturers. Congratulations to Mazda on the win.

Continue reading Mazda CX-5 named Japan's Car of The Year, Subaru BR-Z wins "Special Award"

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Hyundai Elantra, Range Rover Evoque named 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year [UPDATE]

Noah Joseph — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:46:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai, Land Rover

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for... the Car of the Year awards to rule all Car of the Year awards... the definitive selection of the very best the industry has to offer has been decided. Well, we don't know about all that, but the votes have been tabulated and the assembled jurists (including our own Chris Paukert) have selected the 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year.

The finalists were whittled down from a list of 30 candidates to include the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Passat (on the car side of the equation) and the BMW X3, Honda CR-V and Range Rover Evoque (on the truck side, despite them all being car-based crossovers). And after (what we hope was) careful consideration, the panelists have selected the Elantra and the Evoque as the overall winners.

The awards will undoubtedly sit proudly atop the mantles at both Hyundai and Jaguar/Land Rover's headquarters, but will surely be received with particular jubilation by Land Rover, which has won the award for the first time in this, its largest market.

UPDATE: Official press release with voting tally added after the jump.

Continue reading Hyundai Elantra, Range Rover Evoque named 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year [UPDATE]

Hyundai Elantra, Range Rover Evoque named 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motor Press Guild honors Senna documentary and Brock Yates, among others

Michael Harley — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:57:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc.

The Motor Press Guild (MPG), the largest automotive media association in North America, held its 17th annual Dean Batchelor Award banquet at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles this week. The association's awards honored those with outstanding automotive contributions in the areas of writing, audio/visual, photography and lifetime achievement.

Dean Batchelor Award: Senna, by Asif Kapadia and Manish Pandey.

Best Book: Elva, The Cars, The People, The History by Janos Wimpffen

Best Article: "Questor Grand Prix" by Tom Stahler

Best Photography: "Everybody's a Photographer" by Reinhard Klein

Lifetime Achievement Award: Brock Yates was honored for his many contributions to both the automotive and entertainment industries. Not only was Mr. Yates the longtime executive editor of Car and Driver, but he reported for television motorsports, wrote numerous books, was the screenwriter for Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and The Cannonball Run (1981) and he founded the famed coast-to-coast Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (better known as the Cannonball Run), along with its eventual offshoot, One Lap of America.

Pictured is Brock Yates and his wife Pamela, with Laura Burstein, president of the Motor Press Guild. The full press release is below.

Continue reading Motor Press Guild honors Senna documentary and Brock Yates, among others

Motor Press Guild honors Senna documentary and Brock Yates, among others originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobile names its 2012 All-Stars

Noah Joseph — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Minivan/Van, Crossover, Hatchback, Audi, BMW, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Land Rover, Porsche, Volkswagen, Ferrari

'Tis the season, boys and girls. Sure, the holidays are around the corner, but with the end of the year in sight, it's time for every magazine and its sister (publication) to choose its favorite car(s) for the year. And the latest to do so is Automobile magazine.

The venerable glossy book has already announced its 2012 Automobile of the Year, the Audi A7, along with its Man of the Year (Kia design chief Peter Schreyer), Technology of the Year (the trifecta of turbocharging, direct injection and variable valve timing) and Design of the Year (Fisker Karma). But now Automobile has revealed its ten favorite cars for the annual All-Star list.

The final list represents an eclectic cross-section of American, European and Asian vehicles - all available in the U.S., naturally - including the:

Think Jennings and company chose well? Follow the jump for the press release, and be sure to click here to read the full All-Stars story, as well.

Continue reading Automobile names its 2012 All-Stars

Automobile names its 2012 All-Stars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canadian auto journalists pick their cars of the year

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Canada

The Automotive Journalists Association of Canada gets together every year to determine the best of the newest crop of vehicles. After sorting through 150 cars in 11 categories, the AJAC has chosen its "Best Ofs" for 2011.

U.S. manufacturers did quite well throughout the competition, taking home five of the 11 awards. Volkswagen also did well, earning awards in two categories. Last year a VW even took top honors, with the GTI winning Car of the Year. This year's COTY title has yet to be handed out, but based on the overall category winners, our money is on an American automaker earning the prize.

Hop the jump to see the list of categories, along with the respective winners.

[Source: AutoNorth.ca]

Continue reading Canadian auto journalists pick their cars of the year

Canadian auto journalists pick their cars of the year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA Show debuts new awards for most popular vehicles

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: SEMA Show, Etc.

SEMA will inaugurate a new award at this year's show, but in this case the voters are show exhibitors, not attendees. Called the SEMA Award, it lets the folks who provide the entertainment officially recognize the item that they found most entertaining.

There are three categories of hot - Hottest Car, Hottest 4x4 SUV and Hottest Truck - with contenders "proven... to be significant in the industry" already decided. Follow the jump for more info on the award and the eligible awardees.

Yet somehow, no matter how cool the Wraptivo Honda CR-Z Type F looks (see above), we're going to go out on a limb and guess there won't be any Honda CR-Zs on the winner's list.

[Source: SEMA]

Continue reading SEMA Show debuts new awards for most popular vehicles

SEMA Show debuts new awards for most popular vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chung, Mullaly, Winterkorn named top car company CEOs

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:32:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Hyundai, Volkswagen

Automotive News has put together its list of 2010 auto industry all-stars, and taking first place in American, European and Asian CEO categories are Ford CEO Alan Mulally, Volkswagen CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn, and Hyundai-Kia CEO Chung Mong-koo. Hard to fault the choices, and it shouldn't come as a surprise at all that the same three gentlemen took slots two through four of Motor Trend's list of top 50 auto execs for 2009.

Mulally was cited because his "steadfast plan to turn Ford around is bearing fruit in impressive fashion" and Chung was lauded for having " turned the Hyundai brand into a superpower." Winterkorn, who could have been awarded based on VW's Hulk-like growth, was actually noted for his "Strategy 2018," by which time he plans for the VW group to be selling ten million cars per year. Check this spot in eight years to see if he's still an all-star. For now, though, congrats to all.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd.]

Report: Chung, Mullaly, Winterkorn named top car company CEOs originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Beat stars as centerpiece of European young artists competition [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:40:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Videos, Chevrolet, UK, Design/Style

Young Creative Chevrolet awards - Click above to watch video after the jump

Just as Toyota rocks a lot more hip in Australia than it does in the U.S., Chevrolet's got far more groove in Europe than it does domestically. That kind of juice gives rise to things like the fourth annual Young Creative Chevrolet competition that's grown from eight schools in eight countries to 135 schools in twenty countries.

The challenge for entrants this year was to find the coolest way to insert the Chevy Beat into five media: fashion, music, photography, video and visual arts. Winners came four countries, the UK taking photography, Austria grabbing music, Portugal owning visual arts, and France unsurprisingly nabbing fashion and video. Winners get "behind-the-scenes" experiences with their respective category judges.

We could tell you more about it here, but the gallery of high-res images below and the three videos after the jump do a much better job of it (there's a press release back there, too). Congratulations to all of the winners. We hope the Beat/Spark is even half as cool when it reaches our shores... albeit maybe with a different soundtrack.

Gallery: 2010 Young Creative Chevrolet Awards

[Source: Chevrolet]

Continue reading Chevy Beat stars as centerpiece of European young artists competition [w/video]

Chevy Beat stars as centerpiece of European young artists competition [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ward's Auto selects 40 finalists for Interior of the Year award

Eric Loveday — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:59:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Design/Style

Most everyone is familiar with the Ward's Auto 10 Best Engines award where BMW, Audi and Ford took several honors for 2010, but a less prominent, though perhaps more eye-catching, award given by the magazine is the Ward's Interior of the Year awards.

The award recipients are chosen through a process that examines all new vehicles for the given model year. For 2010, Ward's had 40 vehicles, considered finalists meeting the requirements. Vehicles are placed in several different classes and judged based upon interior ergonomics, quality and feel of materials, comfort, fit and finish and overall value.

The winners in each class will be announced in mid-April, but you can continue after the jump to view the list of competitors in each class. It could be argued that many of the vehicles are deserving, but only one per class will be selected. The Buick Regal interior pictured above caught our eye, but tell us your own in the comments below.

[Source: Ward's Auto - Sub. Req.]

Continue reading Ward's Auto selects 40 finalists for Interior of the Year award

Ward's Auto selects 40 finalists for Interior of the Year award originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche a big winner in KBB's Brand Awards

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:39:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Ford, Lexus, Porsche

Kelley Blue Book has compiled and collated the data from its year-long Brand Watch Study, which, based on "consumer perception data, [shows] which brands best communicated certain features of their vehicles." Of the nine categories tabbed, Porsche took three: best performance brand, best exterior design in the luxury segment, and coolest brand. Double victories went to Ford for most rugged truck brand and most family-friendly brand, and Lexus for best comfort and best interior design.

This list makes a lot more sense on the face of it than AAA's commuter picks released a couple of days ago, and Porsche makes excellent cases for winning all three categories - the 918 Spyder concept alone might be good enough to garner two of them. We do get a chuckle, though, from the KBB description of Porsche's most recent offering: "The new four-door Panamera only adds to the mystique." Indeed.

Shout-outs to all the winners, including Chevy for best exterior design in the non-luxury segment and Mercedes-Benz for three-peating as best prestige brand. You'll find KBB's full presser with methodology and reasoning after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Porsche Panamera

[Source: KBB]

Continue reading Porsche a big winner in KBB's Brand Awards

Porsche a big winner in KBB's Brand Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan V2G wins LA's 2009 Design Challenge

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Nissan, Electric

Nissan V2G -- Click above for high-res image gallery

The LA Auto Show's Design Challenge has a victor from among its Youthmobile 2030 entries: the Nissan Vehicle-to-Grid, aka V2G. It envisions a nationwide electric highway system (the "grid") driven on by Generation Z, and their cars will pay for use of the grid like a mobile phone plan. The V2G doesn't offer much in the way of variety, but it's ultra-efficient, cheap to run, and convoys of them can gather in interlocked formations called "flocks."

But when the Gen Z'ers get their hacking fingers on it, they customize it so it can be taken off-grid, creating the V2G Unlimited and the Halo-esque future we are beginning to think is inevitable. Sadly, none of the customized demos feature guns, which is all the V2G Unlimited appears to lack and will make it difficult to deal with the Covenant.

When the V2G is finished providing useful service, it can be recycled. Made of bioresin impregnated carbon nanotube cloth, a specially yet-to-be-created bacteria would devour the bioresin and leave only the cloth, which can be used to build another V2G. Or something. Check out the V2G in the high-res gallery below and start studying for the future, now.

Gallery: LA 2009 Design Challenger Winner: Nissan V2G

[Source: Car Body Design]

Nissan V2G wins LA's 2009 Design Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strategic Vision announces 2009 Total Value Awards

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen

Toyota bumped, VW and Ford lead

The 2009 Total Value Awards have been announced, and what do you know, it's more good news for Ford. First, a primer: the "the Total Value Index[TM]" (TVI) took into account more than 48,000 buyers of 2009 models from September, 2008 to March, 2009. Assumptions made by owners of the car - expected reliability, fuel economy, price, etc - are then weighed against "the variables that make up the ownership experience," and voila, you have the TVI.

In last year's awards, Toyota took the top spot in seven of 23 categories, and three more if you count Lexus. The next best efforts were Honda and Chevrolet, each with three. Ford had none.

This year, Toyota and Lexus didn't win a single category. The Yaris hatch was bumped by the Ford Focus Coupe, the Prius was bumped by the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat sedans. The Toyota Solara convertible was ousted by the Ford Mustang convertible, and the Toyota Sequoia was beat by the Ford Expedition.

In all, Ford put four of its lineup in the winner's circle, with the F-250 and -350 bumping the GMC Sierra. VW had five in the top slots, making both Ford and VW the two best makers in the survey, with Honda again pulling up third with three. It's another bit of welcome press for Ford and VW. Now if Ford could just get those pesky labor contracts settled...

[Source: Strategic Vision]

Continue reading Strategic Vision announces 2009 Total Value Awards

Strategic Vision announces 2009 Total Value Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spike announces nominees for Best Driving Game of the Year

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:09:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Toys/Games

Spike's Video Game Award finalists -- Click above to watch trailers at Spike.com

Spike TV has opened up the voting for its Video Game Awards, and the finalists are down to four: DiRT 2, Need for Speed: Shift, Forza Motorsport 3, and Gran Turismo PSP. It's a bit of a motley list, but then again it's been a motley year for driving games, and we're still waiting for a vision of the unicorn otherwise known as Gran Turismo 5. If you want to vote, cast your ballot on Spike's site. If you need a refresher because you insist on being an informed voter, follow the jump and check out some gameplay.

[Source: Spike]

Continue reading Spike announces nominees for Best Driving Game of the Year

Spike announces nominees for Best Driving Game of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, Canada! Great White North journos pick their cars of the year

Chris Shunk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Misc. Auto Shows, Canada

Guess what boys and girls, the auto show season is ramping up and that means the constant flow of Car of the Year awards is upon us. The biggest auto show award in our quaint little hemisphere is likely the North American COTY award, which, we would have thought included Canada, Mexico and our United States. Well, not so much. The Canadians have their own international show and their own COTY, complete with car and utility honors from among 12 categories and 52 award-eligible vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

After pouring over vehicles ranging from the Mazda3 to the Porsche Panamera and everything in between, the Canadians have narrowed their focus to one vehicle in each of the 12 categories. Volkswagen is the best-represented automaker in the final 12, with three VW models, two Audis and the Panamera. The Mazda3 wins in two different categories and the Ford Taurus is the only finalist among Detroit automakers.

Also shut out - somewhat surprisingly we may add - are the Honda and Toyota brands, although the Lexus Lexus RX450h was voted the top crossover/SUV over $60,000. The 2010 Canadian International Auto Show begins February 12. Hit the jump to view the rest of the winners.

[Source: AJAC via Auto North]

Continue reading Oh, Canada! Great White North journos pick their cars of the year

Oh, Canada! Great White North journos pick their cars of the year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gran Turismo creator to select Best in Show at SEMA that will be featured in upcoming game

Noah Joseph — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: SEMA Show, Toys/Games

Each year at SEMA, a select group of editors and contributors from the world's largest automotive publications scour the show floor to hand out prizes for the best hot rod, Japanese import, European import, domestic automobile and SUV. But not the overall Best in Show award. That'll be handed out by a video game programmer.

Well, not just any video game programmer. The video game programmer: Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo racing game franchise. As part of the seventh annual Gran Turismo awards, Yamauchi will hand pick one custom ride at the SEMA show to be rendered by his team of electronic wizards in high-resolution splendor and featured in an upcoming edition of the game. Nominations are being accepted in advance of the November 4 awards ceremony at the Palms, so if you know a ride worthy of Gran Turismo, follow the link for the entry form.

[Source: SEMA]

Gran Turismo creator to select Best in Show at SEMA that will be featured in upcoming game originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford F-150 SVT Raptor named 2010 Truck of Texas

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Truck, Ford, Off-Road

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor -- Click above for high-res image gallery

It's no secret that the Texas Auto Writer's Association loves Ford trucks: The Blue Oval's F-Series pickups have won the Truck of Texas award six straight times. Actually, you can make that seven straight times now, with the F-150 SVT Raptor taking the top honor this year in the Lone Star State.

We didn't go through the precise reasoning of the F-150's dominance in previous years, but the arrival of the Raptor probably made the choice just too easy this time around. After having driven the Raptor ourselves we knew that there is simply nothing like it, and nothing anywhere near as good as it is, to be found in the OEM pickup truck world. When you throw in the purchase price of $39K for the 5.4-liter, you're going to look hard to find a similarly priced competitor in the OEM or aftermarket. The press is after the jump, and to Ford, congratulations are well deserved.

UPDATE: Turns out that the F-150 was actually named this year's Truck of Texas, not the SVT Raptor model specifically. The Raptor was, however, named best "Full-size Pickup Truck". You can check out the corrected press release that Ford just sent out after the jump.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford F-150 ~~SVT Raptor~~ named 2010 Truck of Texas

Ford F-150 ~~SVT Raptor~~ named 2010 Truck of Texas originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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