MOTOR TREND Announces Its 2018 Awards Finalists

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, MOTOR TREND announced the finalists in contention for its Motor Trend Awards "Golden Calipers" for Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and SUV of the Year. The award winners will be announced during a red carpet ceremony at a gala event featuring an audience of industry insiders and celebrity guests at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on Monday, November 27. Leading up to, and during the event, MOTOR TREND Award content will be featured on its website.

"The exceptional quality and diversity demonstrated by the 2018 vehicles made selecting the finalists for each category difficult for all our judges this year," says Edward Loh, editor-in-chief of MOTOR TREND. "We look forward to unveiling the well-deserved winners during our annual awards ceremony."

This year's MOTOR TREND Awards finalists were evaluated against six key criteria: safety, efficiency, value, advancement in design, engineering excellence, and performance of intended function. Judges for each program come from MOTOR TREND staff but also included two special guest judges for Car of the Year, legendary car designer Tom Gale and product development guru Chris Theodore, and one special guest judge for SUV of the Year, auto engineering expert Gordon Dickie.  

2018 MOTOR TREND Car of the Year Finalists
Twenty-six all-new or significantly updated cars for the 2018 model year were in contention for MOTOR TREND Car of the Year. After a week of exhausting testing and evaluation at Hyundai Motor Group's California Proving Grounds, eight finalists were chosen:

Coupling luxury with performance, the Alfa Romeo Giulia provides a powerful ride and outstanding handling. The Honda Accord delivers strong engine and transmission pairings, roomy interior, and impressive fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, Honda's Civic Type R boasts high marks in front-drive performance that is unheard of at the price point. The Kia Rio, a budget subcompact hatchback, surprised judges with its smart features and tough-to-beat value. One of the most anticipated cars of the year, the Kia Stinger challenges European luxury brands by featuring stunning styling and strong performance. The Lexus LC showcases the epitome of bold, beautiful design, while the Porsche Panamera presents limousine space paired with sports car performance and handling. The compact Tesla Model 3 shows impressive 310-mile electric-vehicle range without sacrificing crisp acceleration and handling.

2018 MOTOR TREND's Truck of the Year Finalists
Based on testing staged from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Arizona proving ground, the three finalists for MOTOR TREND's 2018 Truck of the Year include a throwdown between Ford and GM for who represents excellence in a highly competitive category:

Returning this year, the mid-cycle update of the F-150 includes four variants which highlight the unmatched range of Ford's offerings. The F-150 XL work truck is powered by a new 3.3-liter V-6 and incorporates features such as a rearview camera with hitch assist and two-bar-style black grille. The popular 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 and the 5.0-liter V-8 are contenders after significant revisions, and the second-generation Baja-bruising Raptor showcases high off-road performance. Chevrolet's off-roading midsize Colorado ZR2 is armed with Multimatic shocks and includes two versions—one with a new V-6 and new eight-speed automatic and the other powered by a Duramax turbodiesel. The third finalist, the GMC 2018 Sierra Denali 3500HD leverages a new 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel with 910 lb-ft of torque.

2018 MOTOR TREND's SUV of the Year Finalists
Automakers are developing powertrains that are smaller, smarter, more efficient, and more complex, making the SUV of the Year contest that much more challenging for the judges. Testing was staged out of Honda's proving ground near Mojave, California, and after lengthy deliberation, seven finalists were chosen from a field of 24 contenders:

Alfa Romeo's Stelvio puts the "sport" in "sport utility" impressing judges with agility around corners and over rough terrain. Receiving high marks in nearly all criteria, the family-sized Chevrolet Traverse delivers superb handling balance and a nine-speed automatic. Honda's CR-V showcases a beautiful redesign, while its outstanding packaging provides functionality in a compact space. The Land Rover Discovery brings impressive off-road handling enhanced by precise steering. Also, demonstrating go-anywhere capability, the compact Subaru Crosstrek offers an excellent CVT and ample rear passenger space. Designed with passengers and cargo in mind, Volkswagen's Atlas redefines SUV-space capacity with a stadium-styled third row and split-folding seats. Rounding out the finalists, Volvo impressed by presenting three variations of the stylishly designed XC60: the high-value T5, turbocharged and supercharged T6, and plug-in hybrid T8.

About MOTOR TREND
MOTOR TREND®, a media brand of TEN: A Discovery Communications Company, was founded in 1949 and is internationally recognized as one of the leading brands in the automotive category. The MOTOR TREND brand is composed of Motor Trend magazine; the award-winning website MotorTrend.com; Motor Trend OnDemand subscription video on-demand service; Motor Trend Auto Shows; Motor Trend Audio; Motor Trend en Español; Motor Trend India; and the renowned Motor Trend Car of the Year, SUV of the Year, Truck of the Year, Person of the Year, and Best Driver’s Car awards programs.

 

About TEN: A Discovery Communications Company
TEN: A Discovery Communications Company is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Discovery's fast-growing Velocity network and TEN's entire automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social, and live event portfolio, including MOTOR TREND, HOT ROD, ROADKILL, AUTOMOBILE, and more than 20 other industry-leading brands. With a cumulative reach of more than 131 million, the company encompasses Velocity's #1 TV network for automotive superfans, MOTOR TREND's #1 automotive YouTube Channel, and Motor Trend OnDemand, the only auto-dedicated subscription video-on-demand service. 

CONTACT:
Rob Quigley, Senior PR and Social Media Manager, Marketing
TEN: A Discovery Communications Company
[email protected] or 310-363-4086 

SOURCE TEN: A Discovery Communications Company