Car of the Year ( COTY ) is a common abbreviation for numerous automotive awards.
24-456: The "Car of the Year" phrase is considered to have been introduced by Motor Trend magazine in 1949 when the new publication named Cadillac as Motor Trend Car of the Year . Other publications and various organizations also have developed COTY recognitions. The Australian automobile magazine Wheels began an award in 1963. In 1964, a jury of European automotive journalists began selecting
48-581: A certified used car program, beginning with dealers in Atlanta, Georgia and Cincinnati, Ohio . As explained in their press release, the program is powered by EasyCare. Motor Trend Car of the Year The Motor Trend Car of the Year ( COTY ) is an annual Car of the Year award given by Motor Trend magazine to recognize the best new or significantly refreshed car in a given model year. Motor Trend , which debuted in 1949,
72-570: A collective of automobile magazines, the Green Car of the Year selected by a panel of automotive and environmental experts, the Tow Car of the Year chosen by selected sponsors in the industry, and the Fleet Car of the Year that is voted by professional fleet managers. Motor Trend ' s Car of the Year is "one of the most prestigious honors bestowed in the auto industry." The trophy for
96-554: A fleet of long-term test cars at their headquarters in Los Angeles, California . The majority of the Motor Trend editors are each assigned a car, and their duty is to drive that car on a daily basis and report on what's happening. Each month, one to two new vehicles are added to the fleet, to replace the one to two vehicles leaving the fleet. Each long-term test lasts approximately one calendar year . Not every vehicle receives
120-426: A printed update each month, though the vehicles are still there. This section is typically located towards the end of the magazine. Other types of articles are sometimes featured in the Motor Trend magazine . There is typically one special feature per month. For example, in one issue of the magazine, there may be a special feature about Motor Trend ' s "Real MPG" testing. For these tests, Motor Trend measures
144-482: A section of Motor Trend itself. It became the stand-alone publication Truck Trend in 1997. Truck Trend magazine ceased production in December 2019, as one of the nineteen magazines that Motor Trend Group ceased publication during that month. Motor Trend Classic included articles about significant classic cars from around the world made during the last 60 years. A total of 23 issues were produced. The first run
168-532: A separate sport utility vehicle (starting in 1999), which are recognized separately from the Car of the Year. Over time, other publications and organizations have copied Motor Trend's Car of the Year award and created their own. These COTY designations may focus on regional markets, vehicle types, specific market segments, or other criteria. Some examples include the European Car of the Year that began in 1964 by
192-471: Is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year , also in 1949. Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published Motor Trend until 1998, when it was sold to British publisher EMAP , who then sold the former Petersen magazines to Primedia in 2001. Motor Trend bears the tagline "The Magazine for a Motoring World". As of 2019 it
216-414: Is published by Motor Trend Group . It has a monthly circulation of over one million. Publication was monthly but changed to quarterly in 2024. The contents of Motor Trend magazines are divided up into sections, or departments. Motor Trend magazine provides its readers with written "road tests" of vehicles. These road tests are published in each issue and are meant to give readers information about
240-736: The European Car of the Year award. Many COTY awards focus on regional markets, vehicle types, or market segments. An example is the "tow car of the year" in the UK (for pulling travel trailers ). or the COTY AJAC award in Canada . The COTY is meant to award excellence in automotive design. Criteria vary, but the World Car of the Year are typical: The originator of the COTY award, Motor Trend , uses these criteria: Motor Trend Motor Trend
264-530: The Golden Wheels Award for a while in the 1970s and having given rise to Truck of the Year and Import Car of the Year , as well as SUV of the Year . Nevertheless, it is still coveted by manufacturers and is usually covered by the mainstream press as the most important distinction awarded in the American auto industry. The magazine releases a special edition every September and October listing
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#1732791820807288-471: The Porsche 914 for its first Import COTY award. In 1972, the low-volume imported Citroën SM won the overall COTY award. Between 1976 and 1999, the COTY award was split in two: Domestic COTY and Import COTY . The trophy was recombined in 2000 because the distinctions between domestic and import cars became increasingly difficult. The award has expanded to include a pickup truck (starting in 1979) and
312-477: The "real-world" fuel economy of a vehicle in a number of conditions, and then compares their results to the EPA estimated fuel economy that manufacturers provide dealerships, who then provide it to their customers. One of the earliest and most enduring of the magazine's creations was its Car of the Year award, given almost continuously since 1949, although the phrase itself would not become entrenched until well into
336-408: The 1950s. It predates the European Car of the Year award begun in 1964. The first winner was the 1949 Cadillac , which featured an innovative overhead valve V8 engine ; while the company initially turned down the award from the brand new magazine, it now proudly references its COTY wins in publicity materials. The award has gone through several splits and permutations over the years, being called
360-530: The acquisition of a majority stake in TEN by Discovery Communications , it was announced that its U.S. cable channel Velocity would rebrand as Motor Trend Network later in the year. In Italy , the channel Motor Trend began broadcasting on April 29, 2018 at 6:00 am with the Car Crash TV in place of Focus , whose brand has meanwhile passed into the hands of Mediaset . In 2009, Motor Trend introduced
384-534: The award. Between the contenders, it is not a comparison test. In 2014 as an example, the Motor Trend judges debated and evaluate each vehicle against six key criteria: Motor Trend also only considers cars with base MSRPs less than $ 150,000 in order to avoid expensive luxury and super cars dominating the competition. Vehicles are subjected to a battery of tests: standard car tests such as skid-pad ratings, acceleration and quarter-mile times, and evaluations of
408-409: The featured vehicle, certain aspects of the vehicle, and what the readers can expect if the featured vehicle is purchased. There are two main types of Motor Trend vehicle comparisons. Regular comparisons usually compare two to three vehicles, looking at what each is like to own, drive, etc. On Motor Trend' s YouTube channel (titled "MotorTrend Channel"), Motor Trend puts up their best comparison of
432-557: The interiors are combined with a track run conducted by Sports Car Club of America -licensed testers and taking the cars out on normal roads to test their drivability under normal conditions, and fuel economy. Trucks and SUVs add towing capacity and speed, plus an off-road course, to the normal regimen. Note that in 1970 and between 1976–2000, the Car of the Year award was split into two categories, domestic and import. Introduced in 1970 for one year and then brought back in 1976 due to differences between imports and American cars. The award
456-616: The latest new vehicles. The September issue looks at the latest cars ( sedans , coupes , etc.) for the next coming calendar year , whilst in October the magazine looks at off-roaders , MPVs and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs). Truck Trend magazine presented features and the latest news about the truck, SUV, and crossover segments. Additionally, the Readers' Rides section allowed readers to post images and information about their own vehicles. Truck Trend began in 1995 as "Truck Trends,"
480-643: The month on a series called "Head 2 Head," featuring MotorTrend editors comparing cars on YouTube. "Big Test" comparisons typically feature anywhere from five to seven vehicles, all being compared against each other. In a way, a vehicle comparison is like a large road test featuring many vehicles, rather than just one. The Trend provides readers with the latest what's happening in the automotive industry. This section may feature news about manufacturers, recalls, etc. "Newcomers" (recently redesigned or all-new models), along with short informative articles about them, can also be found in this section. Motor Trend keeps
504-556: The service, adding coverage of motorsports competitions such as Blancpain GT Series , Pirelli World Challenge , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters , V8 Supercars , British Touring Car Championship , TCR International Series , FIA European Formula 3 Championship , European Le Mans Series , Australasian Safari , Motoamerica , Endurance FIM World Championship , Motocross World Championship , AMA EnduroCross Championship , and FIM SuperEnduro World Championship . In April 2018, following
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#1732791820807528-401: The winner, a depiction of calipers , is often used in the winning automaker's marketing and advertising. Most cars that win the award report a spike in sales. To be eligible for the award, a car must be an "all-new" or "substantially upgraded" vehicle that has been on sale within twelve months from the previous November, vehicles that have been on sale for over five years are ineligible for
552-581: Was eight issues: two undated issues in 2005, and six additional bimonthly issues in 2006. Several years later the title was relaunched, and that second run was fifteen issues: quarterly from Spring 2010 through Spring 2013, then a combined Spring/Fall 2013 issue, with the final Summer 2014 issue appearing a year later. Motor Trend On Demand is an online television service. It features television series from Motor Trend , Automobile Magazine , Hot Rod , Super Street and Four Wheeler , such as Roadkill . In 2015, TEN bought Torque.TV and integrated it into
576-489: Was the first publication to name a Car of the Year . The inaugural Motor Trend Car of the Year award recognized Cadillac 's V8 engine in 1949 (75 years ago) ( 1949 ) . The earliest awards were given to the manufacturer or division, not for a specific vehicle. The 1958 Ford Thunderbird became the first single model to be selected. In 1970, the Ford Torino won the COTY while Motor Trend selected
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