The ''Motor Trend'' Car of the Year (COTY) is an annual ''

Car of the Year Car of the Year (COTY) is a common abbreviation for numerous automotive awards. The "Car of the Year" phrase is considered to have been introduced by ''Motor Trend'' magazine in 1949 when the new publication named Cadillac as Motor Trend Car of the ...

'' award given by ''

Motor Trend ''MotorTrend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949. Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''MotorTrend'' until 1998, when it was sold to ...

'' magazine to recognize the best new or significantly refreshed car in a given model year. Motor Trend Car of the Year WAS 2010 8885

Background

''Motor Trend'', which debuted in 1949, was the first publication to name a

. The inaugural ''Motor Trend'' Car of the Year award recognized Cadillac's

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and u ...

in . The earliest awards were given to the manufacturer or division, not for a specific vehicle. The 1958

Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird (colloquially called the T-Bird) is a personal luxury car produced by Ford from model years 1955 until 1997 and 2002 until 2005 across 11 distinct generations. Introduced as a two-seat convertible, the Thunderbird was pr ...

became the first single model to be selected. In 1970, the

Ford Torino The Ford Torino is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company, Ford for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. It was a competitor in the mid-size car, intermediate market segment. The car was named after the city of Turin ( ...

won the COTY while ''Motor Trend'' selected the

Porsche 914 The Porsche 914 or VW-Porsche 914 is a mid-engined sports car designed, manufactured and marketed collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 until 1976. It was only available as a targa-topped two-seat roadster powered by either a ...

for its first Import COTY award. In 1972, the low-volume imported

Citroën SM The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 ''Motor Trend' ...

won the overall COTY award. Between 1976 and 1999, the COTY award was split in two: ''Domestic COTY'' and ''Import COTY.'' The trophy was recombined in 2000 because the distinctions between domestic and import cars became increasingly difficult. The award has expanded to include a pickup truck (starting in 1979) and a separate

sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon defini ...

(starting in 1999), which are recognized separately from the Car of the Year. Over time, other publications and organizations have copied Motor Trend's Car of the Year award and created their own. These COTY designations may focus on regional markets, vehicle types, specific market segments, or other criteria. Some examples include the European Car of the Year that began in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines, the

Green Car of the Year The Green Car of the Year is a ''Car of the Year'' award from the ''Green Car Journal''. The winner is selected by an 11-member panel comprising automotive and environmental experts. Invited jurors have included Mario Andretti; Carroll Shelby, Ja ...

selected by a panel of automotive and environmental experts, the Tow Car of the Year chosen by selected sponsors in the industry, and the Fleet Car of the Year that is voted by professional fleet managers.

Impact

''Motor Trends Car of the Year is "one of the most prestigious honors bestowed in the auto industry." The trophy for the winner, a depiction of

calipers A caliper (British spelling also calliper, or in plurale tantum sense a pair of calipers) is a device used to measure the dimensions of an object. Many types of calipers permit reading out a measurement on a ruled scale, a dial, or a digital d ...

, is often used in the winning automaker's marketing and advertising. Most cars that win the award report a spike in sales.

Criteria

To be eligible for the award, a car must be an "all-new" or "substantially upgraded" vehicle that has been on sale within twelve months from the previous November, vehicles that have been on sale for over five years are ineligible for the award. Between the contenders, it is not a comparison test. In 2014 as an example, the Motor Trend judges debated and evaluate each vehicle against six key criteria: Motor Trend also only considers cars with base MSRPs less than $100,000 in order to avoid expensive luxury and super cars dominating the competition. Vehicles are subjected a battery of tests: standard car tests such as skid-pad ratings, acceleration and quarter-mile times, and evaluations of the interiors are combined with a track run conducted by Sports Car Club of America-licensed testers and taking the cars out on normal roads to test their drivability under normal conditions, and fuel economy
Trucks and SUVs
add towing capacity and speed, plus an off-road course, to the normal regimen.

Car of the Year Winners

Note that in 1970 and between 1976-2000, the Car of the Year award was split into two categories, domestic and import. :

Import Car of the Year Winners

Introduced in 1970 for one year and then brought back in 1976 due to differences between imports and American cars. The award was discontinued after the 1999 model year when the difference between what was a domestic and an import had started to become problematic. :

Truck of the Year Winners

: :

SUV of the Year Winners

"SUV of the Year" was split from "Truck of the Year" in 1999. :

Car of the Year (China)

''Motor Trend'' magazine's China-market cousin, ''Auto Club-Motor Trend'', also issues a "Car of the Year" award for that market.

Car of the Year

:2011: BMW Brilliance 5 Series (long wheelbase) :2010: Shanghai-GM Buick Regal :2009: GAC-Honda Accord :2008: FAW-Volkswagen Magotan(Passat B6) :2007: GAC-Toyota Camry :2006: FAW-Toyota Crown :2005: Changan-Ford Mondeo :2004: FAW-Mazda 6 :2003: Shanghai Volkswagen Polo

SUV of the Year Winners

:2011:

FAW-Volkswagen FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co., Ltd. is a joint venture between FAW Group and Volkswagen Group which manufactures Audi and Volkswagen marque passenger cars for sale in China. It was founded on 6 February 1991. FAW-VW is headquartered in the so ...

Audi Q5 :2010:

GAC Toyota GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. () is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Guangzhou, China and a joint-venture between GAC Group and Toyota Motor Company for manufacturing Toyota's model platform in the Chinese market. It was founded ...

Highlander :2009: Dongfeng Nissan X-Trail :2008:

Guangqi Honda Guangqi Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., also called GAC-Honda, is a Chinese automobile manufacturing joint venture company based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Co-owned by Honda and GAC Group (''Guangqi''), Guangqi Honda operates two plants that, ...

CRV :2007: Countermanded :2006:

Shanghai GM SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited (More commonly known as SAIC-GM; ; formerly known as "Shanghai General Motors Company Ltd", "Shanghai GM"; ) is a joint venture between General Motors Company and SAIC Motor that manufactures and sells Chev ...

SRX :2005:

CRV :2004: Changfeng Automobile Liebao Feiteng

References

{{reflist Motor vehicle awards

Background

Impact

Criteria

Car of the Year Winners

Import Car of the Year Winners

Truck of the Year Winners

SUV of the Year Winners

Car of the Year (China)

Car of the Year

SUV of the Year Winners

See also

References