Tell Us Detroit

ROAD AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE ANNOUNCE THE 2007 ICOTY AWARDS

Marie Iles
Writer/Reporter
Tell Us Detroit

Road and Travel Magazine rolled out the red carpet for the 2007 International Car of The Year awards. The awards were presented, Friday January 5^th, 2007 at the Detroit Marriot in the Renaissance Center.

Detroit’s who’s who were in attendance to see the winners of the 2007 ICOTY awards. VIPS on hand to share handshakes and camaraderie included: Chief Ella Bully Cummings, Detroit Police Department; Jim Ellison, Mayor, Royal Oak, Michigan; Brenda Lawrence, Mayor, Southfield, Michigan; Marti Eulberg, Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Jaguar NA; Barry Meguair, President & CEO, Meguair's Inc.; Irma Elder, President and CEO, Elder Automotive Group; Irv Miller, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Toyota Motor Sales USA and Brian Colianni, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Mazda North American Operations.

List of companies representing the auto and business worlds provided sponsorship for the 11th annual event. They are: DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Bridgestone Firestone Tires, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, OnStar, American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Intrapromote, Bose Corporation, Subaru of America, American Honda, Automotive Women's Alliance, BMW North America, Hyundai Motor America, Mazda North American Operations, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nissan NA, AutoTrader.com, Car Crazy Central, JWT, The Women's Automotive Association International and U-Haul International.

AWARD SELECTION PROCESS

The awards presented are based on new or existing models with significant change in design or technology voted the highest in 10 categories. Winners are selected by RTM judges that meet at least 7 of the 12 criteria. The criteria include:

Appealing to women and men
Head turning ability
Ergonomically friendly
Style
Affordability
Performance
Practical
Grocery Getting Potential
Safe and Dependable
Proud to be Seen In
Fun Factor
Very Cool

Road and Travel Magazine’s (RTM) jury then votes on their favorites based on the criteria in each category. RTM jury consist of Road & Travel Magazine Editor-in-Chief and event host Courtney Caldwell; Kevin Smith, editorial director, Edmunds.com and also ICOTY 2007 co-host; David E. Davis Jr., Editor-in-Chief, Winding Road Magazine; Denise McCluggage, auto writer, Auto Week; Ann Job, MSN Autos; Ken Gross, Robb Report; Bob Plunkett, automotive syndicated columnist; Cheryl Jensen, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times; Dan Wiese, St. Louis Post Dispatch; John McElroy, host of Autoline Detroit, Perry Stern, Editor MSN Autos and B.J. Killeen, nationally syndicated Drivers Talk Radio.

ROAD AND TRAVEL 2007 ICOTY WINNERS

Event host and Editor in Chief of Road & Travel Magazine, Courtney Caldwell and co-host, Kevin Smith (Editorial director, Edmonds.com) presented the 2007 awards winners in each category.

WINNERS in each category:

Car of the Year Lexus LS 460	Truck of the Year Chevy Silverado
Most Sex Appeal/Sports Car Jaguar XK	Most Dependable/Sedan Toyota Camry
Most Spirited/Entry-Level Mazdaspeed3	Most Compatible/Minivan Hyundai Entourage
Most Versatile/Crossover Mazda CX-7	Most Respected/Luxury Car Lexus LS 460
Most Athletic/Pickup Truck Chevy Silverado	Most Resourceful/SUV GMC Yukon

Road and Travel Magazine third Annual Heart String Award for the most captivating vehicle commercial was awarded to Ford Motor Company’s, Father and Son, by JWT Ad Agency. The tribute was sponsored by Bridgestone Firestone Tires.

Also, the third Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Jim Dunne, auto journalist and photographer.

The Road and Travel ICOTY awards can be viewed January 14^th, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. on CBS.

2007 ICOTY sponsors include DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Bridgestone/Firestone Tires, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, OnStar by GM, Subaru of America, American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Bose Corporation, American Honda Motor Company, Automotive Women’s Alliance, BMW North America, Hyundai Motor America, Mazda North America, Nissan North America, AutoTrader.com, Car Crazy Central, Women’s Automotive Association International, and U-Haul International. Media partners include AutoTrader.com, Edmunds.com, MSN Autos, and Popular Mechanics, all of which will provide post event coverage of the winners. CBS Detroit will be televising ICOTY 2007 as a TV special to air on opening weekend of the North American International Auto Show.

For more information on the awards, visit the ICOTY Awards page.