The Votes are In; 'Interiors' Winners to be Announced at the 13th Annual Auto Interiors Show, June 7-8 at Detroit's Cobo Center

DETROIT, May 22, 2006 -- Which automakers are building vehicles with the best interiors? And which OEMs and suppliers are providing the best design and convenience features such as navigation or sound systems, seats, and instrument clusters?

The votes are in and the winners of the 7th annual automotive "Interior of the Year" awards competition will be announced at a special awards program during the Automotive Interiors Show which runs June 7-8 at Detroit's Cobo Center. The awards program will be attended by OEM and supplier executives and will take place on the show floor June 7 starting at 4 p.m. It will feature at least 30 of the 53 finalist vehicles. (To register to attend the Awards program, go to: http://www.autointeriors.com/ .)

This year, eight automakers have won 24 awards between them, and one OEM will take home six awards.

Sponsored by Ward's Auto World magazine, the 11 recipients of annual "Interior of the Year" awards competition were selected from a field of 53 nominees in six categories: Popular-priced and premium-priced cars, CUVs and light trucks. The CUV category was new this year.

In addition, the awards competition added six product feature categories that journalists and the industry at-large also voted on: Best Navigation System, Best Seat System, Best Instrument Cluster, Best Sound System, Best Overall Interior Innovation, and even Best Cup Holder.

Winners were determined on two separate ballots, one exclusively for news media and the other for members of the industry at-large. This means that two different manufactures could both win "Interior of the Year - Popular- Price Car Category" for instance, if the news media selected a different model than the at-large voters.

In all, 69 automotive journalists and 991 industry members participated in the voting and in only one category -- Premium-Priced Car -- did they agree on an overall vehicle category winner. There was more agreement in the product feature categories, where both groups selected the same manufacturer for the award for Best Navigation System, Best Instrument Cluster and Best Cup Holder.

The slate of 53 nominees was determined by the editorial staff of Ward's Auto World magazine, sponsor of the Automotive Interiors Show. Voting took place between April 15 and May 15 and was conducted on the Web at http://www.autointeriors.com/ .

Members of the news media and the industry at-large selected the winning vehicles from the following slates of nominees:

  Popular-Priced Cars    Premium-Priced Cars    Popular-Priced CUVs
  Audi A3                Mercedes S Class       PT Cruiser
  Buick Lucerne          Lexus GS               Chevy HHR
  Ford Fusion            BMW 3 Series           Toyota Rav4
  Toyota Camry           Audi A6                Mazda CX7
  Pontiac Solstice       Lincoln Zephyr
  Honda Civic            Cadillac DTS
  Volkswagen GTI

  Premium-Priced CUVs    Popular-Priced Trucks    Premium-Priced Trucks
  Mercedes R Class       Chevy Tahoe              Land Rover Range Rover
                                                   Sport
  Infiniti FX            Ford Explorer            Ford F150 King Ranch
  Mercedes GL Class      Jeep Commander           Saab 9-7x
  Audi Q7                Kia Sedona               Cadillac Escalade
  Subaru B9 Tribeca      Toyota FJ Cruiser        Lincoln Navigator
  Acura RDX              Nissan Quest (07)

In addition, nominees for the best innovations in comfort and convenience features include these makes and models:

        Best               Best                  Best
  Navigation System    Seat System         Instrument Cluster
  Land Rover           Mercedes S Class    Chevy HHR
  Acura                BMW 3 Series        Mazda MX-5
  Audi                 Jaguar XK           Audi A6
  BMW                  Dodge Charger       VW Passat
  Infiniti             Lincoln Navigator   Ford Mustang
                                           Audi A3
                                           Honda Civic Hybrid
     Best
  Cup Holder
  Lincoln Zephyr
  Mercedes M Class
  Dodge Caliber
  Hyundai Tucson

                 Best
             Sound System
  Acura TL              ELS Surround
  Audi S8               Bang & Olufsen
  Mitsubishi Eclipse    Rockford Fosgate
  Ford Mustang          Shaker 1000
  Mercedes S Class      Harmon Kardon Logic 7
  Dodge Magnum          Boston Acoustics

                 Best
          Interior Innovation
  Dodge Caliber          MusicGate, Chill Zone and built-in flashlight
  Dodge Grand Caravan    Stow N' Go Seats
  Nissan Xterra          Integrated Cargo Area
  Dodge Ram              Back seat
  Volvo S40              Slim Center Stack
  Honda Ridgeline        Storage trunk in pickup bed

To be eligible for this year's competition, a vehicle had to be new or redesigned for the 2006 model year car (or a 2007 model available for sale in calendar year 2006). Selection was based on overall styling, functionality, quality, fit and finish, convenience, and special features. Employees of OEMs representing nominated vehicles were not allowed to vote.

About the Auto Interiors Show

Now in its 13th year, The Auto Interiors Show is presented by Ward's Automotive Group and is the industry's leading trade show and conference for vehicle interiors. It spotlights the latest innovations in vehicle technology and design to help suppliers respond to increasing OEM demands and changing consumer preferences. It features exhibits of leading suppliers who showcase trendsetting products and materials with a view to the future of vehicle interiors. For complete information on the 13th annual Auto Interiors Show, go to: http://www.autointeriors.com/ .