LOS ANGELES, CA (November 20, 2007) -- Motor Trend, the world's automotive authority and part of Source Interlink Media, today announced the selection of the Cadillac CTS as the 2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The complete report on Motor Trend's 2008 Car of the Year will be published in the magazine's January issue, available on newsstands December 4, 2007.
"The Cadillac CTS marks the first time in decades an American automobile has been designed and engineered with an eye on the global marketplace," said Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend. "Among its many excellent qualities, perhaps the most valuable one is that it shows Detroit can build a world class car to compete with the best Munich, Stuttgart and Toyota City have to offer. With the CTS, Detroit is officially back in the car business, not just the truck or SUV business."
"The CTS's winning attributes go far beyond a well-designed facade," said MacKenzie. "It's the star of a new GM revival, and with a base price of just $32,990, the car is truly accessible to a wide spectrum of car buyers."
The base model CTS includes an impressive 263-horsepower, VVT V-6 (a 304-horsepower direct-injection version is optional), eight-speaker Bose audio, 17-inch wheels and a dual zone climate control. In addition to offering a classy, distinctive interior, superb fit and finish, and starched-crease tailored design, the six-speed automatic version of the CTS goes from 0-to-60 mph in 6.3 seconds. Motor Trend editors particularly enjoyed the car's road-hugging dexterity, responsive feel, and sporty acceleration.
The 2008 Field of Contenders
Motor Trend editors faced the daunting challenge of choosing one winner from one of the toughest Car of the Year fields in the history of the award.
"This year's 18-car field was laden with truly significant vehicles," said MacKenzie. "We had all-new interpretations of high-volume benchmark cars that virtually define their respective categories, such as the Honda Accord and Chrysler-Dodge minivan. We had reworked icons such as the Mini Cooper, Subaru Impreza WRX and Scion xB. We had new cars with old nameplates that carried the collective hopes of an entire company, along with all-new vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and Audi."
To be eligible for Car of the Year, a vehicle must be totally new or redesigned, and released in the 12 months prior to January 1, 2008. Besides the Cadillac CTS, this year's field of contenders for Car of the Year included:
Audi {{{A5}}}/S5Audi TTChevrolet MalibuChrysler Town & CountryDodge Grand CaravanDodge AvengerFord FocusFord TaurusHonda AccordMercedes-Benz C-ClassMini CooperMitsubishi LancerScion xBScion xDSubaru ImprezaVolvo C30Volvo XC70
Return to Prominence
With the CTS, Cadillac -- and GM -- captures the golden calipers nearly six decades after winning the first Motor Trend Car of the Year award in 1949.
"The CTS obliterates the 'old man' image of Cadillac," said MacKenzie. "This car will turn heads in the same way that the elite European models do, but it is unmistakably American and uniquely Cadillac. This is a bold and uncompromising showpiece of a sedan."
MacKenzie added, "Tested and developed in the U.S., Germany and China, the CTS exhibits a global poise far beyond its predecessors. The chassis has the race track in its DNA. And it has an interior that manages to be avant-garde and innovative without being difficult to operate. The navigation/information touchscreen sets a new industry standard for stylishness and ease of use."
About the Testing and Evaluation Process
Each year since 1949, the editorial staff of Motor Trend has evaluated eligible vehicles for its "Car of the Year" based on three key categories: Significance, Superiority, and Value. Superiority refers to engineering excellence, advancement in design, utilization of resources and safety. Vehicle concept and execution are important, as are use of materials, packaging, dynamics, styling and fuel consumption. Significance considers how well the vehicle does the job its maker intended it to do, and how it impacts or changes its particular market segment, influences consumer perceptions, and transforms product development trends. The value question asks, "What does this vehicle deliver in relation to what the consumer has to pay to purchase and own it?"