ICOTY Jury Announces 2011 International Car and Truck of the Year Winners

DETROIT, Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2011 International Car of the Year Awards (ICOTY) jury announced today the winners of the 15th annual ICOTY Awards, which took place during press week of the North American International Auto Show.

The ICOTY jury, made up of 12 nationally-renowned automotive journalists, selected the 2011 vehicles as the most emotionally compelling vehicles for the new model year.

The 2011 International Truck of the Year trophy was presented to KIA Motors America Group President and CEO, Byung Mo Ahn, for the 2011 Kia Sportage.

Hyundai USA CEO, John Krafcik, accepted the award for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata named International Car of the Year.

"While we're proud of the Sonata from a technical and engineering standpoint, this award addresses the fact that our cars are now the sorts of vehicles that appeal to the lifestyle set," said Hyundai CEO John Krafcik. "With sales up more than 110 percent from last year, the Sonata and its all four-cylinder lineup has been a game changer for us, and we're thrilled to be recognized by the ICOTY awards."

Presenters included jury members, Courtney Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief, Road & Travel Magazine; James Bell, VP Corporate Communications and Executive Market Analyst, Kelley Blue Book; Joe Wiesenfelder, Senior Editor, Cars.com; and Perry Stern, editor of MSNAutos.com.

Sponsored by Bridgestone, ICOTY celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. "Through good times and bad, Bridgestone has continued to support ICOTY, which has allowed us reach this milestone anniversary for which we are very grateful," adds Caldwell.

"It's our honor to sponsor this award recognizing the excellence in ingenuity by auto manufactures, and we appreciate the longstanding partnerships, both in the showroom and on our highways, we've enjoyed with many of them. We congratulate both Kia and Hyundai on their prestigious awards and look forward to creating world-class products for all manufacturers in the years to come," said Michael Martini, President Bridgestone's OE Division, of BATO.

About ICOTY

The ICOTY Awards were founded in 1996 by Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief of RTM. Its unique theme was created to recognize automakers that successfully design and market their vehicles to consumer lifestyles. Today, many automakers use the 'emotional connection' theme in their national marketing and advertising campaigns to connect with consumers.

SOURCE Road & Travel Magazine