2010 Motorist Choice Awards
And The 2010 Motorist Choice Award Winners Are...
IntelliChoice and AutoPacific Announce Motorist's Top Picks in both
Popular and Premium Categories
Irvine, Calif. (September 21, 2010) - There is only one annual
automotive award handpicked by active consumers in the marketplace that
goes beyond the editorial and performance test data and provides a
window into the wants and needs of motorists. This year's Motorist
Choice Awards highlight a collection of 15 unique buyer categories
covering both market segments - Popular and Premium. Both reflect the
purpose and perception of the consumer and illustrate the results of
practical analysis, like total cost of ownership, fuel economy and
resale value.
The fifth annual awards, announced today, are the result of exhaustive
national value data and consumer lifestyle studies performed by the
consumer-driven automotive analysis of IntelliChoice
<
http://www.intellichoice.com/> and automotive market research firm,
AutoPacific <
http://www.autopacific.com/> . A first for this year, the
awards were broken up into popular lifestyle categories that shoppers
easily identify with, rather than the alternatives based on vehicle
size, price and other such factors.
"From an emotional standpoint these awards are a reflection of how cars
fit into people's daily lives, the tasks they fulfill on a day-to-day
basis and the image people have of their vehicles," says Charlie
Vogelheim, Executive Editor of IntelliChoice
<
http://www.intellichoice.com/> . "The cars in these categories not only
represent tremendous value, they are also about the image you want to
portray to other motorists as well."
This year's Motorist Choice Awards include 15 new areas buyers might
categorize their potential purchases into including, Best Active
Lifestyle vehicle, Best Cargo Hauler and Best Value Car. Each of the 15
categories is sub-divided, honoring automakers from both popular and
premium brands. A complete list of winners follows:
Award Category
Popular Brand Award Winner
Premium Brand Award Winner
Country Club
Hyundai Genesis <
http://www.hyundaigenesis.com/>
Audi A6 <
http://models.audiusa.com/a6-sedan>
Cute
Volkswagen Beetle <
http://www.vw.com/newbeetle/en/us/>
Volvo C30
<
http://www.volvocars.com/us/all-cars/volvo-c30/tools/pages/offers.aspx>
Eco Friendly
Toyota Prius <
http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/>
Lexus RX Hybrid
<
http://www.lexus.com/models/RX/?s_ocid=AllModels_RX_Display_Info>
Sexy Styling
Chevrolet Corvette <
http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette/>
Audi A5 <
http://models.audiusa.com/a5-coupe>
High Tech
Ford Taurus <
http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/taurus/>
Lexus RX Hybrid
<
http://www.lexus.com/models/RX/?s_ocid=AllModels_RX_Display_Info>
Youthful
Dodge Challenger <
http://www.dodge.com/en/2010/challenger/>
Lexus IS <
http://www.lexus.com/models/IS/>
People Mover
Honda Odyssey <
http://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey/>
Mercedes-Benz GL <
http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-GL>
Fun to Drive
Chevrolet Corvette <
http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette/>
BMW 5-Series
<
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Vehicles/2011/5/Default.aspx>
Kid Friendly
Toyota Sequoia <
http://www.toyota.com/sequoia/>
Mercedes-Benz GL <
http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-GL>
Active Lifestyle
Dodge Ram HD <
http://www.dodge.com/en/2010/ram_2500_3500/>
Porsche Cayenne <
http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/cayenne/>
Performance
Ford Taurus SHO <
http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/taurus/>
Infiniti M <
http://www.infiniti.com/global/en/models/m>
Road Trip
Toyota Sienna <
http://www.toyota.com/sienna/>
Cadillac DTS <
http://www.cadillac.com/vehicles/2010/dts/overview.do>
City Car
Toyota Yaris <
http://www.toyota.com/yaris/trims-prices.html>
Lexus LS <
http://www.lexus.com/models/LS/>
Value Car
Honda Fit <
http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/>
Lexus RX Hybrid
<
http://www.lexus.com/models/RX/?s_ocid=AllModels_RX_Display_Info>
Cargo Hauler
GMC Acadia <
http://www.gmc.com/acadia/acadia/index.jsp>
Lincoln Navigator <
http://www.lincoln.com/suvs/navigator/>
"Rather than grouping these cars into stereotypical categories like
'Best Sedan' we produced a list of the best cars buyers would themselves
categorize, like Most Kid Friendly," says George Peterson President of
AutoPacific. "These awards are a good reflection of the perceptions of
the American consumer; showing what they want to drive and why they want
to drive it."
Despite this year's public relations challenges, Lexus and parent
company Toyota managed to come away with 10 of a possible 30 awards for
this year's field chosen by motorists. The automaker swept categories
including City Car and Eco-Friendly with their Lexus and Toyota
offerings. Other notable awards included Hyundai's new luxury car, the
Genesis, earning top marks in the Country Club category for Popular
Brands.
The awards demonstrate that consumer taste spans the globe from Asian
automakers to European and domestic manufacturers all taking away
several awards. The Big Three were popular among motorists as well -
Ford's all-new Taurus and Taurus SHO models took awards in the High Tech
and Performance categories respectively for the popular brand segment.
Furthermore, the recently restructured General Motors counted a win for
its Cadillac DTS in the premium brand segment for the Road Trip
category. The Dodge Ram Pickup was chosen as a favorite for those with
active lifestyles.
The Motorist Choice Awards are the result of 42,000 consumer surveys by
AutoPacific and ongoing data analysis from IntelliChoice. The awards
represent the commitment AutoPacific and IntelliChoice share in being
advocates on behalf of the car buying public; empowering consumers to
make educated decisions about potential purchases that satisfy not only
their automotive needs, but also their wants.
"Economically, the past few years have been some of the toughest in more
than a decade. Even in light of the current recovery, car buyers
continue to be especially prudent, and the data we've analyzed for the
Motorist Choice Awards helps customers make wise purchase decisions,"
says Peterson. "We've found that more than 27 percent of respondents are
positively influenced by awards like the Motorist Choice Awards when
deciding on a car and this trend will certainly continue given the
economy."
About IntelliChoice
IntelliChoice <
http://www.intellichoice.com/> , part of the Motor Trend
Auto Group is the market leader in automotive ownership cost and car
values analysis. Founded in 1986, IntelliChoice is committed to
empowering consumers to make better purchase decisions by providing
independent and essential automotive information and tools. Through the
IntelliChoice.com <
http://www.intellichoice.com/> web site consumers
get the help they need to research, compare, configure and price new
cars. The site also connects buyers to the buying alternatives of their
choice, including vehicle manufacturers and an online car buying guide.
Motor Trend Auto Group is a subsidiary of Source Interlink Media
<
http://www.sourceinterlink.com/divisions/sim/> , a recognized provider
of targeted media and marketing services and one of the largest
publishers of magazines and online content for enthusiast audiences.
About AutoPacific
AutoPacific <
http://www.autopacific.com/> is a future-oriented
automotive marketing and product-consulting firm. Every year AutoPacific
publishes a wide variety of syndicated studies on the automotive
industry. The firm also conducts extensive proprietary research and
consulting for auto manufacturers, distributors, marketers and suppliers
worldwide. Company headquarters and its state-of-the-art automotive
research facility are in Tustin, California, with an affiliate office in
the Detroit area. Since 1986, AutoPacific has provided innovative,
methodologically sound, strongly implemented research in addition to
expert automotive analysis. AutoPacific is nationally known for its
annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards and Ideal Vehicle Awards. Additional
information can be found on AutoPacific's websites:
www.autopacific.com
<
http://www.autopacific.com> and
www.vehiclevoice.com