MOTOR TREND Announces Its 2016 "Of The Year" Finalists

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 9, 2015 -- For the first time in the brand's 66-year history, MOTOR TREND will be announcing all three winners of the Golden Calipers for Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and SUV of the Year at the same time during a red carpet ceremony in front of an audience of industry insiders and celebrity guests.  

"This year's exceptional selection of vehicles made evaluating and choosing the finalists for each category very difficult," says Edward Loh, editor-in-chief of MOTOR TREND. "We look forward to unveiling the well-deserved winners on Monday, November 16, during our first-ever award ceremony."

This year's Of the Year finalists were evaluated against six key criteria: safety, efficiency, value, advancement in design, engineering excellence, and performance of intended function. Judges for each program are pulled from MOTOR TREND staff but also include two special guest judges for Car of the Year.

2016 MOTOR TREND Car of the Year Finalists
Fifteen all-new or significantly updated cars for the 2016 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, seven finalists were chosen:

Audi TT
BMW 7 Series
Chevrolet Camaro
Honda Civic
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mercedes AMG GT S
Toyota Mirai

The Audi TT and BMW 7 Series brought high technology, sophisticated design, and impressive luxury appointments to this year's competition. The Chevrolet Camaro and Mercedes-AMG GT S got our judges' hearts racing with distinctly American and German takes on high performance. On the efficiency and value front, the Honda Civic, Toyota Mirai, and Mazda MX-5 Miata each made compelling cases; the all-new 10th-generation Civic is one of the most popular economy cars in America, the futuristic Mirai is the first mass-production hydrogen fuel cell vehicle available for purchase, and the iconic Mazda MX-5 Miata is the latest generation of the world's best-selling two-seat sports car.

2016 MOTOR TREND's Truck of the Year Finalists
The six finalists for MOTOR TREND's 2016 Truck of the Year span two segments and four manufacturers:

Chevrolet Colorado
Chevrolet Silverado
GMC Canyon
GMC Sierra
Nissan Titan XD
Toyota Tacoma

Toyota builds upon the market leadership of its best-selling midsize pickup with an all-new Tacoma featuring a new 3.5-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic. Nissan shakes up the full-size segment with a Cummins diesel-powered Titan XD that's ready to tackle a heavy-duty workload. MOTOR TREND's defending Truck of the Year, the Chevrolet Colorado, and its cousin, the GMC Canyon, return with a new Duramax 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel and Apple CarPlay. Their full-size siblings, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, now come with new eight-speed automatic transmissions, refreshed styling, and CarPlay.

2016 MOTOR TREND's SUV of the Year Finalists
For the first time, more vehicles are in contention for SUV of the Year than Car of the Year. SUV testing was staged out of a 50,000-acre ranch in Tehachapi, California, and after the dust settled, five finalists were chosen from a field of 16 contenders:

Honda Pilot
Lincoln MKX
Mercedes-Benz GLE/GLE Coupe
Nissan Murano
Volvo XC90

Honda returns to the three-row SUV segment with an all-new Pilot equipped with an optional nine-speed transmission, seating for eight, and an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. The revamped Lincoln MKX redefines American luxury with a powerful but efficient 2.7-liter V-6 engine and thumping 19-speaker Revel Ultima audio system. Mercedes-Benz created the luxury SUV segment with the iconic ML, which has been renamed (and completely refreshed) as the GLE—and it's joined by a fast-roofed sibling, the GLE Coupe. Nissan pushes avant-garde styling to the limit with a floating roof, kicked-up C-pillars, and boomerang-shaped head- and taillights on its 2016 Murano. Rounding out the finalists is Volvo's XC90, the safe, stylish, technology-laden follow-up to our 2003 Sport/Utility of the Year winner.

The gala showcasing the winners of MOTOR TREND's 2016 Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and SUV of the Year will be streamed live on MOTOR TREND's award-winning YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/motortrend, at 7:30 p.m. PST on November 16, 2015. This livestream and all of the details on the contenders, finalists, and winners will also be available at MOTOR TREND's newly redesigned website at www.motortrend.com.

About MOTOR TREND
MOTOR TRENDŽ, a media brand of TEN: The Enthusiast Network, 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 Espanol; Motor Trend India; and the renowned Motor Trend Car of the Year, SUV of the Year, Truck of the Year, and Best Driver's Car awards programs.

About TEN: The Enthusiast Network  
TEN: The Enthusiast Network is the world's premier network of enthusiast brands, such as MOTOR TREND, AUTOMOBILE, HOT ROD, SURFER, TRANSWORLD SKATEBOARDING, and GRINDTV. With more than 50 publications, 60 websites, 50 events, 1,000 branded products, Motor Trend OnDemand subscription video on-demand service, the world's largest automotive VOD channel, and the world's largest action/adventure sports media platform, TEN inspires enthusiasts to pursue their passions. For more information, visit enthusiastnetwork.com.