Dodge Charger SRT8 & Subaru B9 Tribeca Are Top Picks by Automotive Design & Production Magazine

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Dec. 20 -- Automotive Design & Production announces its first-ever exterior design awards, which are given to two vehicles released in North America during calendar year 2005. In a market where ever-increasing competition among all segments puts more product on the streets each year, a surprising number of these vehicles are undifferentiated from their competitors due to apparent hesitation on behalf of vehicle manufacturers to assume any risks. In effect, a multitude of cars and trucks are operating "under the radar" in efforts to offend any potential customers.

Fortunately, some products have been brought to the market that are visibly marked by thoroughgoing attempts to evoke some emotion in the public. As is the case with all forms of endeavor, some work exquisitely well ... and some don't. As for those that don't work well, the editors of Automotive Design & Production feel that the companies who create these products should be recognized, not simply criticized: They're trying.

   - What Works: The Dodge Charger SRT8.  For an extraordinary execution of
     a fresh, aggressive product with differentiating features in a market
     that is characterized by cars with less passionate presence.  From the
     ducts in the forward-canted front fascia for brake cooling, to the
     fast-back supplemented by a spoiler, from the five-spoke 20-inch wheels
     to the four-doors addressing the needs of those who are interested in
     modern American muscle, the Dodge Charger SRT8 is 2005's most
     outstanding example of "form follows function."

   - G.U.T.S. (Grand Undertaking -- Though Strident): The Subaru B9 Tribeca.
     As Browning put it, "A man's reach should exceed his grasp -- or what's
     a heaven for?"  Points are earned for trying to create an SUV that is
     more than the quotidian.  From the front snout flanked by wings to a
     belt line along the side that suddenly -- and unfathomably -- becomes
     aggressively pronounced before its resolution in the shape of the tail
     lamps, this is a vehicle that ignores Van der Rohe's maxim that "less
     is more."  This is more, more, more.

Speaking of the awards, Automotive Design & Production editor-in-chief Gary S. Vasilash remarks, "Design is the distinguishing factor for vehicle manufacturers today, and exterior design is key because if you can't get a customer to the car, it's unlikely that the customer will get into it. Those companies that are empowering their designers to do extraordinary work deserve acknowledgement -- even if it isn't exactly what they'd hope for."

Automotive Design & Production is a monthly publication dedicated to product and process development published by Gardner Publications, Inc. (http://www.gardnerweb.com/). Its accompanying website is http://www.autofieldguide.com/. For more information, contact Gary Vasilash at 734/416-9705 or gsv@autofieldguide.com .