Car and Driver Releases Annual 10 Best for 2006

Import Models Take Seven of 10 Honors

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 15 -- The world's number one automotive enthusiast magazine, Car and Driver, today announced winners in its 24th annual roundup of the 10 best cars sold in America. The Car and Driver "10Best" winners are featured in the January 2006 issue of the magazine, on newsstands now.

Reflecting a trend of consistent excellence, this year's list features eight returning winners that have appeared on "10Best" lists since 2001. Those nameplates include the Acura TSX, BMW 3-Series, Chevrolet Corvette, Chrysler 300, Ford Mustang GT, Honda Accord, Mazda RX-8 and Porsche Boxster. The Corvette, Accord and Boxster nameplates maintain their perennial dominance by making the list for the 20th, 12th and 7th times, respectively, while a BMW nameplate has made the list for 15 consecutive years.

The list also includes two new categories: Best Sports Compact (Audi A3) and Best Roadster (Mazda MX-5). Both the A3 and MX-5 appear on the list for the first time. Seven models from foreign-based automakers and one model each from the Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation constitute the list.

"10Best" vehicles are classified into categories for car buyers to more quickly and easily identify vehicles that best satisfy their needs and interests. Once the winning vehicles were selected through the normal evaluation process, they were assigned a category title that best matched the vehicle.

  Following are this year's Car and Driver "10Best" winners:
  *  Acura TSX (3) - Best Sports Sedan
  *  Audi A3 (1) - Best Sports Compact
  *  BMW 3-series (3) - Best Luxury Sports Sedan
  *  Chevrolet Corvette (12) - Best Performance Car
  *  Chrysler 300 (2) - Best Full-Size Sedan
  *  Ford Mustang GT (2) - Best Muscle Car
  *  Honda Accord (20) - Best Family Sedan
  *  Mazda MX-5 (1) - Best Roadster
  *  Mazda RX-8 (3) - Best Sports Coupe
  *  Porsche Boxster (7) - Best Luxury Sports Car
  (Numbers in parentheses show number of times the vehicle was named to the
   Car and Driver "10Best" list.)

"Despite the increased competition in the marketplace with a multitude of new models introduced in recent years, these eight repeat winners continue to outperform new-vehicle challengers," said Editor-in-Chief Csaba Csere. "Their consistent quality, performance and customer satisfaction is to be commended."

This fall, a 13-member panel of Car and Driver editors gathered in Ann Arbor to determine winners by rating them on a scale from 1 to 100. They focused their evaluation on three key areas: functional performance, driving satisfaction and value.

While all cars offered in U.S. showrooms by January 2006 are eligible, only a select few make the cut. Finalists must fall below a price cap of $71,000, as determined by multiplying by 2.5 the average transaction price as of summer 2005, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. In order to qualify as a nominee, the manufacturers must be able to deliver a vehicle for testing, as the Car and Driver staff only considers vehicles it can actually drive.

The magazine also re-nominates previous years' winners if they are still available and under the price cap. It then identifies new or substantially upgraded vehicles for the current year. This year, the process yielded eight return winners.

Car and Driver's "10Best" began in 1983 with the desire to produce a list devoted to automotive excellence. According to Csere, in keeping with the personality of the magazine, the staff did not believe that just one car could represent its diverse readership and circulation. Instead, they selected 10 cars.

Articles and visuals of the 2006 "10Best" winners and nominees can be read and seen in the January issue or on Car and Driver's Web site, http://www.caranddriver.com/ . Visitors are encouraged to join Car and Driver Online's interactive forums to tell the magazine's editors if they agree or disagree with their selections.

About Car and Driver

Car and Driver magazine, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., is the world's largest automotive magazine, purchased by more than 1.3 million automobile enthusiasts as their premier source of information and insight about cars and trucks. Content includes everything from new car previews, road tests and features to industry news and automotive humor and delivering the most complete vehicle and performance data. Its popular online extension, http://www.caranddriver.com/ provides online visitors with complete editorial content, archives, interactive buyer's guides and more. Car and Driver Radio can be heard in more than 100 markets across the country on the Radio America Network as well as on the SIRIUS and XM satellite networks.

Car and Driver is published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. Inc. (HFM U.S.), the New York-headquartered subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Medias, a division of Lagardere SCA. HFM U.S. reaches 50 million readers in the U.S. through its 18 titles, which also includes American PHOTO, Boating, Car and Driver, Cycle World, Elle, Elle Decor, ELLEgirl, Flying, Home, Metropolitan Home, Mobile Entertainment, Popular Photography, Road & Track, Sound & Vision, Travel Holiday, Woman's Day, and Woman's Day Special Interest Publications. HFM U.S. also includes custom publishing, integrated marketing, database and market research as well as Hachette Enterprises.