Automotive Excellence: Winners, Please!

PM Workhorse Pick: 2010 Ford Transit Connect

We’re in the season where car magazines, consumer groups and bloggers are announcing their top picks for the latest models on the market. The 2010 model year is in full swing which means that the announcements are rolling out as you read this.

Subaru Outback

Last month, Motor Trend named the Subaru Outback as its pick for 2010 SUV/Truck  of the Year and will declare its car winner later this month. I have a hunch on who the winner will be, but I’ll keep that guess to myself.

The 2010 Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Awards were announced last week, the fourth year that this popular men’s publication has named cars which it believes “…represent the innovation and foresight that will keep this industry moving forward.”

The Winners

By category, the editors have chosen:

• Performance: Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
• Design: Chevrolet Camaro
• Value: Kia Soul
• Fuel Efficiency: Toyota Prius
• Versatility: Subaru Outback
• Fun to Drive: Hyundai Genesis Coupe
• Off-Road Ability: Ford F-150 Raptor
• Technical Innovation: Lexus Remote Touch
• Luxury: BMW 335d
• Workhorse: Ford Transit Connect

I don’t see any surprises on the list as each model or product is well known to industry insiders.  Popular Mechanics (PM) says that they test more than 100 new vehicles when making their determination, driving more than 100,000 miles to find the right vehicle for the right category.

Early Releases

Given that many of the 2010 models have been out for some time, I can see how they rack up the miles so quickly.  Though not featured on the list, the 2010 Mercedes GLK has been on sale since the first days of the new year. Clearly, model years are merging and blending, but the PM list is something worth looking at.

By the way, you’ll have to wait until the tenth of this month before the December issue hits news stands. PM’s top picks will be featured along with more in depth analysis and evaluations of the winners.

Ford F-150 Wins Safety Accolades

The Ford Motor Company is basking in glory thanks to the latest generation of its full size pick up truck, the F-150. Its delayed release last summer due to high gas prices and slow moving inventory of the previous generation model seems like a distant memory; today we have what some consider to be the best pickup truck on the market and if recent awards are any indication, then those sentiments are certainly true.

On the eve of the opening of the heralded North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, Ford has received yet another accolade this one being it winning the five-star crash safety awards from the federal government as well as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Both the government and the IIHS (which is founded and funded by insurance carriers) say that the Ford F-150 meets its highest crash criteria, allowing the F-150 to garner a top five star crash rating.

“The new F-150′s leading 5-star crash ratings and ‘Top Safety Pick’ award further demonstrate Ford’s commitment to safety as we have more top government ratings than any other brand,” said Susan Cischke, Ford’s group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “The new 2009 F-150 also offers more advanced safety features as standard equipment than any other half-ton truck, part of our aggressive roll-out of safety for millions of customers.”

Earlier this week Ford announced its sales totals for the F-150, finishing the year with 515,000 units sold, down considerably over the past year but allowing Ford to retain the title of best selling pickup truck for 32 years running.

Indeed, back during the worst of the summer gas price spike, the model’s quest to remain the best selling passenger vehicle of any type was threatened as it appeared that the popular Toyota Camry would displace the Ford. Aggressive year end selling and lower gas prices helped to keep the Ford truck the top selling passenger vehicle for the 27th consecutive year.

The automaker’s marketing campaign, “Built Ford Tough” is getting the support that it deserves thanks to these safety awards, allowing Ford to continue to boast at have a top safety pick in the competitive big pickup truck segment. This works out for what customers want as well as Ford surveys indicate that five out of six customers consider safety to be a leading purchase reason when considering a truck.

“The all-new 2009 Ford F-150′s leading crash-safety ratings add to its capability, fuel economy and technological leadership,” said Steve Kozak, Ford’s chief engineer for safety systems. “We achieved top safety ratings and unsurpassed fuel economy at the same time by using high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel in key areas of the new F-150′s structure.”

As they did at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, expect Ford to have a significant presence at Detroit, with the F-150 being the centerpiece of the automaker’s truck and sport/utility vehicle display.

Source: Ford Motor Company

North American COTY, TOTY Finalists Announced

50 automotive writers and journalists from Canada and U.S. have voted to name their selection for the prestigious 2009 North American Car (COTY) and Truck (TOTY) of the Year awards, with the winners to be revealed in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Voting takes place early December and each juror has 25 points to distribute for car and 25 for truck nominees. No more than 10 points may be awarded to any one vehicle, and the 10-point maximum can be bestowed only once. However, the juror must award all 25 points.

This year 14 cars were nominated along with 11 trucks.

The three car finalists are:

• Ford Flex
• Hyundai Genesis
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI

The three truck finalists are:

• Ford F-150
• Dodge Ram
• Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC

To be eligible, vehicles must be “all-new” or “substantially changed” from the previous model. This year the jury considered more than 50 vehicles and finally settled on 14 cars and 11 trucks that deserved to be on the ballot.

Michelle Collins, Vice Chairman Automotive at Deloitte & Touche, was responsible for counting the ballots, which jurors sent directly to the accounting firm. Only Ms. Collins will know who the winner is when the awards are announced at the NAIAS on January 11th.

Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Chevrolet Malibu and the North American Truck of the Year was the Mazda CX-9.

Who do I think will win? The Hyundai Genesis will win the COTY while the TOTY will go to the Ford F-150.

Source: North American Car & Truck of the Year