Detroit Auto Show Design Winners Announced

    DETROIT--Jan. 15, 2001--The Automotive Hall of Fame here played host to an awards ceremony recognizing major contributions to the world of automotive design. AMI Auto World Weekly and Eyes On Design/Detroit honored the automotive designers who have created the most significant automotive designs on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Ten awards were handed out in ten different automotive categories.
    Over 300 automotive designers and executives from around the world attended the inaugural event. Giorgetto Giugiaro, who was named Designer of the Century by the European press, served as Honorary Chairman. The event benefited the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology and its programs to aid the visually impaired.

	   AMI Auto World Weekly and Eyes On Design/Detroit Award Winners:

	   -   Most Significant Concept Car Design:
	       Audi Steppenwolf

	   -   Most Significant Production Car Design in Four Categories:
	       BMW Mini--Compact
	       Mercedes-Benz C-Class Wagon--Mid-Size
	       Lexus SC430--Luxury
	       Porsche Carrera GT--Personal Sport Car

	   -   Most Significant Concept Truck Design:
	       Volkswagen Microbus

	   -   Most Significant Production Truck Design in Four
        Categories:
	       Isuzu Axiom--Sporty Utility Vehicle
	       Lincoln Blackwood--Pickup Truck
	       Chrysler Town &Country--Multi-Purpose Vehicle
	       Ford Think Neighbor--Crossover

    Judges evaluated vehicle presentations searching for excellence in design. The panel consisted of design professionals, suppliers to the design industry and academics.
    Eyes on Design/Detroit is a program of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (DIO) and an extension of the Eyes on Design Automotive Exhibit organized each year by the DIO to celebrate the world of automotive design. Eyes On Design/Detroit 2001 was held in cooperation with Venture Industries, Wheel to Wheel/Techstar, ASC Incorporated, and the Detroit Auto Dealers Association.
    Award presentations and brief remarks were made by Dick Ruzzin, Eyes On Design/Detroit 2001 Chairman; William Jeanes, AMI Auto World Weekly's Editor in Chief; and Bill Scott, the Director of Interior Quality for General Motors and Chairman of the Eyes on Design Automotive Exhibit scheduled for June 2001.
    To commemorate the event, AMI Auto World Weekly will include a special insert focused on automotive design in its January 30, 2001 issue. It will feature the technologies that shape automotive design and the people with the vision to make it happen. The insert will also be circulated nationally through special distribution at auto shows.
    AMI Auto World Weekly is published by American Media, Inc., one of the largest media companies in the U.S. with revenues in excess of half a billion dollars. In addition to Auto World Weekly, AMI publishes seven of the fifteen best selling weekly magazines, including the National Enquirer, Star, and Globe as well as the number one selling country music magazine Country Weekly and the new Latino entertainment magazine Mira! America Media Inc. also owns Distribution Services Inc., the country's number one in-store supermarket merchandising company.
    The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology is a non-profit corporation founded in 1972. Eyes on Design is the primary source of revenues for its research, education and support group programs that enhance the independence of the visually impaired. Eyes on Design, created in 1988, is the world's only car show to focus on the emotion and character of design. The exhibit attracts automotive designers, automotive decision-makers and automotive aficionados from around the world. For more information, visit the DIO at www.eyeson.org.