Magazines' Concept Car Awards Announced at Design Forum Ceremony

DETROIT, Jan. 9 -- The best of the best displayed at the 2002 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) and throughout the past year at auto shows around the world were honored this evening at the 9th annual AutoWeek Design Forum.

The AutoWeek Editors' Choice Awards were announced by Dutch Mandel, AutoWeek editor and associate publisher and the Automotive News Concept Car of the Year Awards were revealed by Peter Brown, Automotive News executive editor and associate publisher.

For more than a decade, the AutoWeek Editors' Choice Awards have recognized those vehicles the magazine's editorial staff selects as the Best in Show, Most Fun, Most Significant and Best Concept models at the world's major auto shows.

Winners of the AutoWeek Editors' Choice Awards from the 2002 NAIAS are:

Most Fun: Ford Mighty F350 Tonka - ``I never played with action figures as a child,'' said Mandel, ``but I had hours of fun with my Tonka trucks. This begs to be played with.''

Best Concept: Cadillac Cien - ``This swoopy, sexy Cadillac best exemplifies the company's 'art and science' ethic,'' said Mandel. ``And, we love the concept of a 750hp V12 engine.''

Most Significant: Chrysler Pacifica - ``This earns its significant mantle not so much for what it means as a so-called segment buster, but because the automotive circle of life has come back onto itself. This proves a large wagon is cool again. Oh yes it will be significant for Chrysler,'' predicts Mandel.

Best in Show: Pontiac Solstice - ``Of the Best in Show candidates we always ask ourselves, 'what will we remember five years hence,''' said Mandel. ``There are perhaps better interpretations of two-seat roadsters and coupes, but we haven't found them. That this 'family' of small cars was conceived, designed, modeled and built in a scant 15 weeks is a testament to what a company can do when product is at its forefront. This signals not only big things for Pontiac, but other GM divisions as well.''

The fourth annual Automotive News Concept Car of the Year Awards celebrate the finest Environmental Concept, Interior Concept, Exterior Concept and Concept Car of the Year. Innovation, production feasibility, production cost and consumer value are considered in selecting the finalists.

    Winners of the 2002 Automotive News Concept Car of the Year Awards are:

    Environmental Concept:
        1st place -     Suzuki Covie
        2nd place -     Citroen Osmose
                        Nissan mm.e
                        Smart Crossblade

    Interior Concept:
        1st place -     Renault Talisman
        2nd place -     Toyota Pod
        3rd place -     Audi Avantissimo

    Exterior Concept:
        1st place -     Chrysler Crossfire
        2nd place -     Porsche Carrera GT
        3rd place -     Pininarina Osee

    Concept Car of the Year:
        1st place -     Volvo Safety Concept Car
        2nd place -     Renault Talisman
        3rd place -     Honda Dualnote

``All the vehicles featured here are the wave of the future,'' said Brown. ``The brilliant designers and engineers who see new possibilities for the future are just awe-inspiring.''

The AutoWeek Design Forum is a day long event, held in conjunction with the NAIAS, featuring presentations by leading design professionals. The program is geared to automotive and non-automotive professionals and students. The 9th annual Design Forum and Automotive News Concept Car of the Year Awards were sponsored by Johnson Controls, Inc. VIP sponsors were Deloitte & Touche, EDS, Michelin and the City of Sunderland.

AutoWeek (www.autoweek.com ) is America's only weekly automotive enthusiast magazine, covering all aspects of automotive enthusiasm -- from racing to products to news features. AutoWeek delivers up-to-the-minute information to more than 350,000 subscribers.

Automotive News (www.automotivenews.com ) is a newsweekly that provides in-depth coverage of the auto industry and is written for OEMs, their franchised dealers and suppliers. It is the industry's only 100 percent paid publication, with circulation exceeding 81,000.