Most Wanted Car Awards For 2002

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 19 -- Edmunds.com (http://www.edmunds.com), a web consumer resource for unbiased automotive information, today announced the winners of the fourth annual Most Wanted vehicle awards and named the Mini Cooper the Edmunds.com Most Significant Vehicle of the Year.

``The Most Wanted awards recognize the current model year vehicles the Edmunds.com editors would choose, for each of 30 popular vehicle categories, if we were spending our own money,'' explains Karl Brauer, Editor-In-Chief of Edmunds.com. ``For this task, our demographically diverse editorial staff is guided by passion, not science, choosing vehicles we'd love to have in our own driveways.''

    The 2002 winners in each category are:

      Economy Car -- Under $13,000                Hyundai Elantra
      Small Sedan -- Under $20,000                Volkswagen Jetta
      Small Coupe/Hatchback -- Under $20,000      Volkswagen Golf
      Small Station Wagon -- Under $20,000        Mazda Protege5
      Econosports -- Under $20,000                Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T
      Midsize Sedan -- Under $30,000              Nissan Altima
      Midsize Coupe -- Under $30,000              Chrysler Sebring
      Midsize Station Wagon -- Under $30,000      Volkswagen Passat
      Large Sedan -- Under $30,000                Ford Crown Victoria/
                                                  Mercury Grand Marquis
      Entry-Luxury Sedan -- Under $40,000         BMW 3 Series
      Midsize Luxury Sedan -- Over $30,000        BMW 5 Series
      Large Luxury Sedan -- Over $30,000          Lexus LS 430
      Luxury Station Wagon -- Over $30,000        BMW 5 Series
      Sport Coupe -- Under $30,000                Toyota Celica
      Sport Luxury Coupe -- Over $30,000          BMW 330Ci
      Sport Sedan -- Under $30,000                Subaru WRX
      Sports Car -- Over $30,000                  BMW M3
      Convertible -- Under $30,000                Mazda Miata
      Convertible -- Over $30,000                 BMW 3 Series
      Small Pickup                                Toyota Tacoma
      Large Pickup                                Ford F-Series
      Small Crew Cab Pickup                       Dodge Dakota
      Large Crew Cab Pickup                       Chevrolet Avalanche
      Small SUV                                   Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute
      Midsize SUV                                 Nissan Pathfinder
      Large SUV                                   Toyota Sequoia
      Luxury SUV -- Over $30,000                  Acura MDX
      Minivan                                     Honda Odyssey
      Large Van                                   Ford Econoline

In conjunction with the Most Wanted award announcements each October, Edmunds.com also selects the Most Significant Vehicle of the Year. This category recognizes a vehicle that changes the rules of a given segment, creates a brand new niche or redefines an automaker's image. The Mini Cooper exemplifies this, as it has been transformed by BMW into a technologically advanced, low-priced vehicle that retains its head-turning heritage despite being all new this year -- its first substantial update since the 1950s.

Details on all award winners are listed at http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/mostwanted/articles/ and video clips are available at http://www.edmunds.com/video/.

About Edmunds.com

Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, Edmunds.com (http://www.edmunds.com) is the Internet's pioneer and leader in providing free, third party automotive information, tools and services for consumers. Edmunds.com empowers, educates, and engages visitors by providing them with straightforward information on key aspects of buying, selling, and owning a vehicle.

SOURCE: Edmunds.com