Motor Trend names redesigned Toyota Camry as 2007 Car of the Y

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 22, 2006) -- Motor Trend (http://www.motortrend.com), the world's automotive authority and part of PRIMEDIA's (NYSE: PRM) Consumer Automotive Group, announced today that the redesigned Toyota Camry, the sixth edition of America's best-selling car, is Motor Trend's 2007 Car of the Year. The award goes to the entire Camry range, including the Camry Hybrid. The complete report on Motor Trend's 2007 Car of the Year will be published in the January issue, available on newsstands December 5, 2006.

"Creating an innovative, engaging automobile with broad mainstream appeal is one of the toughest tasks facing any automaker," said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend. "The Camry is the one car rival automakers all wish they could build. It offers something for nearly everyone--performance, efficiency, and roominess--at a price point most Americans can afford."

MacKenzie added, "Toyota offers the Camry with a regular four cylinder engine, or a sporty V-6 that enables it to hit 60 mph in just six seconds - that's about as fast as a V-8 musclecar from the '60s and '70s. Buyers looking for ultimate fuel economy can choose the Camry Hybrid, which uses the same innovative hybrid powertrain technology as Toyota's Prius to save gas."

The 2007 Field of Contenders
The Toyota Camry bested a field of 27 competitors, comprising six models from the U.S., 10 from Japan, five from Korea, four from Germany, one from the U.K., and one from Sweden.

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, 2007 (cars with modifications such as new engines or that are variants of existing models are not eligible).

This year's field of contenders for Car of the Year included:
Chevrolet Aveo, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, Honda Fit, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Entourage, Infiniti G35, Jaguar XK, Jeep Compass, Kia Optima, Kia Rondo, Kia Sedona, Lexus ES 350, Lexus LS 460, Mercedes Benz S-Class, Nissan Altima, Nissan Sentra, Nissan Versa, Porsche Cayman, Saturn Aura, Saturn Sky Redline, Suzuki SX4, Toyota Camry, Toyota Yaris, Volvo C70 T5, Volkswagen EOS, and Volkswagen Rabbit

America's Best-Selling Car
MacKenzie went on to say that Toyota, which is celebrating its second Car of the Year award in four years (it won 2004 COTY for the Prius), has achieved something remarkable at a time when the competition has never been so fierce and the marketplace so diversified.

"It is difficult to do a mainstream car well, but Toyota has succeeded beyond anyone's expectations in creating the 21st century American family sedan. The Camry is a car designed for, and made in, America, with American tastes in mind, and it is now on track to become the first car in nearly three decades to sell 450,000 units in a single year in the United States. The 2007 Camry is the exemplar of not only building the right car, but building it the right way."

"We should add that the Camry won in a very strong field. There have never been more choices available to American car buyers. That is a fact of life in the 21st century."