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International
Car of
the Year
Awards
Jury
Announces
Top 3
Nominees
DETROIT
- A bevy
of new
vehicles
will
cruise
into the
2009
model
year
with a
variety
of new
designs
and
technology.
From the
most
innovative
features
to the
most
ecologically
aware,
the
International
Car of
the Year
Awards
(ICOTY)
jury has
announced
the top
three
nominees
for Car
of the
Year and
Truck of
the
Year.
Presented
with the
Hollywood
flair of
the
Academy
Awards,
the
ICOTY
Awards
take
center
stage at
MGM
Grand
Detroit
on
January
10,
2009,
the eve
of press
week for
the
North
American
International
Auto
Show
(NAIAS).
Hosted
by
Edmunds.com
Editorial
Director
Kevin
Smith,
and Road
& Travel
Magazine
(RTM)
Editor-in-Chief
Courtney
Caldwell,
the 13th
annual
awards
will
reveal
the
winning
vehicles
for
International
Car of
the Year
and
International
Truck of
the
Year.
The
mission
of the
ICOTY
Awards
is to
honor
vehicles
that
reflect
lifestyle
compatibility
and how
well
automakers
achieve
that
goal
through
the
design
and
marketing
of the
vehicle.
The top
three
nominees
for
International
Car of
the Year
are the
2009
Dodge
Challenger,
Ford
Flex and
Nissan
GT-R.
International
Truck of
the Year
nominees
include
the new
2009
Dodge
Ram
1500,
Ford
F-150,
and
Subaru
Forester.
"The
awards
are not
centered
on power
and
performance,"
said
Courtney
Caldwell,
ICOTY’s
creator
and
executive
producer.
"It's
about
how cars
reflect
our
lifestyles
and self
image,
an
attitude
most
consumers
can
identify
with."
Inaugural
EARTH,
WIND &
POWER
AWARDS
to Debut
at ICOTY
2009
 The
2009
ceremony
will
also
debut
the
Earth,
Wind &
Power (EWP)
Awards,
which
will
honor
the most
environmentally-friendly
car and
truck of
the
year.
The
mission
of the
EWP
Awards
is to
recognize
vehicles
that are
driven
by a
power
source
that
helps
reduce
global
warming,
are
conducive
to
promoting
a
cleaner
environment
and
support
the
mission
to
achieve
energy
independence
through
alternative
sources.
As the
awards
transition
into a
more
environmental
theme,
the
ICOTY
jury is
proud to
announce
the top
three
nominees
in these
new
categories,
which
include
the BMW
335d,
Volkswagen
Jetta
TDI and
Volkswagen
Jetta
SportWagen
TDI for
EWP Car
of the
Year.
The top
three
nominees
for the
EWP
Truck of
the Year
are the
BMW X5
xDrive35d,
Ford
Escape
Hybrid
and the
Mercedes-Benz
ML320
BlueTEC.
Also
recognizing
environmental
ingenuity
is the
second
annual
EARTH
ANGEL
Award.
Sponsored
by
Bridgestone,
the
award
honors
the
automaker
making
the most
progress
with
environmental
initiatives
and
partnerships
on a
worldwide
level.
The
inaugural
EARTH
ANGEL
Award
was
presented
to
General
Motors
at the
2008
ceremony.
In
addition
to the
ICOTY
awards,
Road &
Travel
Magazine
will
present
its
sixth
annual
Lifetime
Legend
Award,
honoring
Washington
Post’s
veteran
automotive
journalist
Warren
Brown.
The 2009
award is
sponsored
by Ford
Motor
Company.
Sponsors
for the
2009
black-tie
gala
included:
Ford
Motor
Company,
Bridgestone,
General
Motors
Corporation,
Chrysler
LLC,
Subaru
of
America,
State
Farm,
American
Honda,
Hyundai
of
America,
Audi of
America,
Mazda NA
Operations,
Borgwarner
Inc.,
Mercedes-Benz
USA and
U-Haul
International.
2009
media
partners
include
Edmunds.com,
MSN
Autos,
Yahoo!
Autos,
Consumer
Guide
Automotive,
Forbesautos.com,
Autobytel/MyRide.com,
ROAD &
TRAVEL
Magazine,
AOL
Autos
and
Earth,
Wind &
Power
Magazine,
all of
which
will
provide
post
event
coverage
of the
winners.
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