Awards-Honors-Events

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Americans love a winner and for those who bought a 2008 new car, there is a good chance they have one.  Autowriters.com has identified 274 possible winners crowned by 26 different press groups, print or digital magazines, web sites, research firms or independent panels.

Of course, it may be “mud buster of the year” cold weather champ” or “cup holder sweepstakes winner” or another unique distinction, but a win is a win, right?

Many models share their award with one or more other “winners.”  And, there may be disagreement about the relative significance of one award versus another.

The awards are not weighted. All are treated equally and in the case of ties all are counted as a winner. In the bragging game, however, who cares about details. Forget that it was one of 10 new models similarly honored or that your car shares its accolade with three other cars in one of 78 classes. It’s a winner!

Compiling the proliferation of distinctions is not meant to suggest that awards do not have benefit beyond the added awareness or increased circulation/ readership of their sponsors.

GM took top manufacturer honors with Buick, Cadillac.  Chevrolet, GMC and Pontiac compiling 51 awards between them. Toyota followed with Lexus, Scion and Toyota models garnering 38. Then Ford with 19 plus Mercury, 5 and Lincoln, 7, totaling 31. Audi had a surprising 14 accolades.

If you discover an award that is not listed, too late for this report. But let AWCom know in case we decide to undertake this exercise for 2009 models – which, incidentally, already has two winners. A complete breakout of the various awards and winners can be had in either a PDF or Word format - gratis! Click on the link:

CONSENSUS AWARDS FOR 2008

2008 Detroit Press Club Foundation Wheel Awards

Newspaper

Mike Casey and Rick Montgomery
Kansas City Star
“Fatal Failures”

Product Review

Scott Burgess
Detroit News
“Va-VA Vroom” Audi R8

Wire/News Service

Bill Koenig
Bloomberg News
Advance look at UAW Negotiations

Editorial/Column

Doron Levin
Bloomberg News
“Too Much Café Makes Smaller More Expensive”

General Interest Magazines/ Special Interest PublicationsMary Beth VanderSchaff, Mark Recthin
Automotive News
Toyota’s 50 Years in America

 

For complete winning entry description/reference, rules and numerous other category winners check: http://www.wheelawards.com/

Jerry Flint, columnist for Forbes magazine, is the 2008 winner of the Elliott V. Bell Award, the New York Financial Writers’ top recognition for distinguished contributions to the field of financial  journalism.  He has been with Forbes since 1979 and before that was Detroit Bureau Chief
for the New York Times and a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

While their owners may or may not claim total car of the year awards, those driving a SuzukiX4, Chevy Malibu, Jaguar XF, Audi TT, Mazda5 CUV and Chrysler Town And Country can claim “Interiors of The Year” as determined by the editors of Wards Automotive Group . . . Michael Knight’s
Spindoctor500blog.blogspot.com won best blog in AARWBA’s annual Journalism competition.