Motor Trend Car of the Year

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Motor Trend magazine was the first to give a Car of the Year award, doing so to Cadillac in 1949 (the earliest awards were given to the manufacturer, not to a specific vehicle). It has since expanded the award category to include the Truck and SUV of the Year, awarding these separately from the Car of the Year. Until 1999, the award was only eligible to American-made cars; imports had their own category, the Import of the Year. The rationale for the combination was explained by editor Angus Mackenzie as "because it's so hard to say that, for example, a Toyota Camry, built in Kentucky and designed in California, is less American than a Ford that may have been built in Canada or Mexico and designed in Europe." Since the combination of the awards, American cars have won the award five times, and imports have won four times. Most cars who win the award report a spike in sales because of how they were judged to be the best: however, getting "The Calipers" is no guarantee of success, best shown by the nostalgic Ford Thunderbird, which was awarded the prize in 2002 to wide acclaim, but pulled from the market two years later due to criticism of its performance and surprisingly low sales.

To be eligible for the award, a car must be a new model introduced in a given model year, or given a fundamental redesign for that year ("freshenings" are ineligible for the award). All vehicles are given the same battery of tests: standard car tests such as skid-pad ratings, acceleration and quarter-mile times, and evaluations of the interiors are combined with a track run conducted by SCCA-licensed testers and taking the cars out on normal roads to test their drivability under normal conditions and fuel economy. Trucks and SUVs add towing capacity and speed, plus an off-road course, to the normal regimen. The trophy for the winner, a depiction of calipers, is well-known to Americans, and is often used in the winner's advertising post-victory.

1 Car of the Year
2 Import Car of the Year
3 Truck of the Year
4 Sport/Utility of the Year
5 Car of the Year in China
- 5.1 Car of the Year
- 5.2 SUV of the Year
6 External links

[edit] Car of the Year

2008 Cadillac CTS

2007 Toyota Camry

2006 Honda Civic

2005 Chrysler 300

2004 Toyota Prius

2003 Infiniti G35

2002 Ford Thunderbird

2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser

2000 Lincoln LS

1999 Chrysler 300M

1998 Chevrolet Corvette

1997 Chevrolet Malibu

1996 Dodge Caravan

1995 Chrysler Cirrus

1994 Ford Mustang

1993 Ford Probe GT

1992 Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan

1991 Chevrolet Caprice Classic LTZ

1990 Lincoln Town Car

1989 Ford Thunderbird SC

1988 Pontiac Grand Prix

1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

1986 Ford Taurus LX

1985 Volkswagen GTI (eligible due to it being built in VW's now-defunct Pennsylvania plant)

1984 Chevrolet Corvette

1983 AMC / Renault Alliance

1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

1981 Chrysler K Cars, Dodge Aries / Plymouth Reliant

1980 Chevrolet Citation

1979 Buick Riviera S

1978 Chrysler, Dodge Omni / Plymouth Horizon

1977 Chevrolet Caprice

1976 Chrysler, Dodge Aspen / Plymouth Volare

1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2

1974 Ford Mustang II

1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

1972 Citroën SM (An imported vehicle that was selected overall "Car of the Year")

1971 Chevrolet Vega

1970 Ford Torino

1969 Plymouth Road Runner

1968 Pontiac GTO

1967 Mercury Cougar

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado

1965 Pontiac Motor Division

1964 Ford Motor Company (Not for the Mustang)

1963 American Motors Rambler

1962 Buick Special

1961 Pontiac Tempest

1960 Chevrolet Corvair

1959 Pontiac Motor Division

1958 Ford Thunderbird

1957 Chrysler Corporation

1956 Ford Motor Company

1955 Chevrolet Motor Division

1954 No award

1953 No award

1952 Cadillac Motor Division

1951 Chrysler Corporation

1950 No award

1949 Cadillac Motor Division

[edit] Import Car of the Year

Introduced in 1970 due to distinguishing differences between imports and American cars, was discontinued after the 1999 model year when the line between what is truly American and what isn't became very blurry.

1999 Volkswagen New Beetle

1998 Lexus GS

1997 BMW 5-Series

1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

1995 Nissan Maxima

1994 Honda Accord

1993 Mazda RX-7

1992 Lexus SC 400

1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4

1990 Nissan 300ZX Turbo

1989 Mitsubishi Galant GS

1988 Honda CRX Si