Who’s Who of Auto Industry and Top Political Echelon
to Attend 13th Annual International Car of the Year Awards

For Immediate Release

Detroit will be brimming with Hollywood flair as the 13th Annual International Car of the Year (ICOTY) Awards take center stage at the luxurious MGM Grand Detroit on January 10, 2009 to announce the winners of the International Car of the Year and Truck of the Year.

Among the political elite in attendance will be U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who will provide opening remarks for the annual celebration.

Produced with all the glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards the entertaining and unique event will host over 500 industry leaders, VIPs, media and political echelon on the eve of press week of the North American International Auto Show.

In addition to the ICOTY awards, the event will also debut the Earth, Wind & Power Awards (EWP) to honor the Most Environmentally-Friendly Car and Truck of the Year.

“Global warming has reached a stage where we’re now facing a planetary emergency with dire effects,” says Courtney Caldwell, the event’s executive producer. “Our goal with the Earth, Wind & Power Awards is to not only honor the most eco-friendly vehicles, but to also shed light on this important global issue in an effort to educate consumers and media alike on how they too can help reduce their carbon footprint.”

In order to help illuminate the affect global warming is having on the planet, the EWP Awards will open with a moving video montage composed of celebrity sound bites drawn from award winning environmental documentaries. The presentation includes clips and commentary from Al Gore’s “The Inconvenient Truth”; Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The 11th Hour”; as well as from Edward Norton, who narrates National Geographic’s “Strange Days on Planet Earth.”

U.S. Congressman Gary Peters (D-MI) will be providing opening remarks for the second annual Earth Angel Award, which will also recognize environmental ingenuity by honoring the most environmentally-progressive automaker. The Earth Angel Award is sponsored by Bridgestone. Michael E. Martini, president, consumer OE, Bridgestone Americas, will be co-presenting this year’s award.

Other high-profile personalities attending the glitzy gala are U.S. Congressman John Dingell (D-MI); Oakland County Commissioner, Dave Woodward; Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr., City of Detroit; Mayor Jim Ellison and Chief of Police Ted H. Quisenberry, both of Royal Oak, Michigan; Mayor Michael Zambricki, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Mayor Brenda Lawrence, City of Southfield, Michigan; James R. Barren, PhD, Detroit Chief of Police; Tim Manganello, Chairman & CEO, BorgWarner Inc.; Motohiro Matsumura, president, Nissan Technical Center North America; Dan CasaSanta, president & GM, BorgWarner TorqTransfer Systems; Roger Wood, president & GM, BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems; Michael E. Martini, president & consumer OE, Bridgestone Americas; Bill Rains, president, U-Haul Company of Central Michigan; Mike Kosmowski, president, Novi Manufacturing Plant, U-Haul; Ali Gillentine, president, U-Haul Company of Northwest Ohio; Mark Barnes, chief operating officer, Volkswagen of America; Robin Adams, chief financial officer, BorgWarner Inc.; Scott Kunselman, vice president, Jeep/Truck Product Team, Chrysler LLC; Charles Allen, senior vice president, Honda R & D Americas Inc.; and Frank Davis, executive director, NA Product Development, Ford Motor Company.

The ICOTY awards will also present the sixth annual Lifetime Legend Award, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, which will honor Warren Brown, a veteran automotive writer for The Washington Post. The presentation will include a special on-air tribute to Brown from Alan Mulally, president & CEO, Ford Motor Company; Mark LaNeve, VP, Sales, Service & Marketing, General Motors NA; Ed Welburn, chief of design, General Motors Corporation; Donald E. Graham, chairman & CEO, The Washington Post Company; Katharine Weymouth, CEP, WP Media, publisher, The Washington Post; Sandra Sugawara, assistant managing editor/financial, The Washington Post; and Beth Lowery, VP Environment, Energy & Safety Policy, General Motors Corporation.

Sponsors for the 2009 black-tie VIP & Media Reception that precede the show are: Chrysler LLC, General Motors Corporation, State Farm, Subaru of America, American Honda, Audi of America, Hyundai of America, Mazda NA Operations, BorgWarner Inc., Continental, Mercedes-Benz USA and U-Haul International.

2009 media partners include Edmunds.com, MSN Autos, Yahoo! Autos, Consumer Guide Automotive, ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine, AOL Autos, and Earth, Wind & Power Blogazine all of which will provide post event coverage of the winners.

Winning vehicles for the ICOTY and EWP Awards are selected by a jury made up of 16 nationally-renowned automotive journalists, final ballots are tabulated by J.D. Power and Associates to ensure accuracy and credibility.

Media Contact:
248.561.5660 EST
icotyawards@gmail.com