South East Automotive Media Organization Announces 2007 Concept Vehicle of the Year Award Winners

DETROIT, July 3, 2007 -- The sixth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards were announced on June 21 during a ceremony at the Automotive Hall of Fame. Organized by the South East Automotive Media Organization, the awards recognize those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry.

A jury of more than two dozen professional automotive journalists from throughout North America selected the winners from 33 Concept Vehicles and 11 Production Preview Vehicles that made a North American debut during the 2007 Auto Show season.

Returning to a familiar spot at the North American Concept Vehicle Awards, Jaguar is back to take the honor of 2007 Production Preview Vehicle of the Year with its C-XF Concept.

As always, this year's Concept Car category was hotly contested. In 2007, no less than 23 outstanding nominees were competing for the top honor in this category. Sneaking in at the Detroit Auto Show with some "Thunder From Down Under," GM's Holden division shows that the "retro" craze is as strong as ever with the Holden EFIJY, winner of the 2007 Concept Car of the Year award.

The Truck & SUV category for 2007 produced a truly diverse range of ideas for the future of the light truck market. DaimlerChrysler makes its fourth trip to the podium in this category for 2007, and the second visit for its Jeep brand, with the Jeep Trailhawk concept taking this year's award for Concept Truck of the Year.

The Specialty Concept category recognizes those vehicles outside the mainstream purpose or definition of a car or truck, where the technology, not the package, is the key story. Showcasing a drivetrain and control architecture designed to work with power sources ranging from a fuel cell, to a plug-in hybrid, to a battery-only power supply, the Chevrolet Volt wins the award for 2007 Specialty Concept Vehicle of the Year.

From amongst these four category winners, the Chevrolet Volt was top- scoring vehicle by a wide margin, earning the top spot as "Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2007."