ICOTY Jury Announces 2011 International
Car of the Year and Truck of the Year

Sponsored by Bridgestone Tire

DETROIT, January 17, 2011 - The 2011 International Car of the Year Awards (ICOTY) jury announced today the winners of the 15th annual ICOTY Awards. The award presentations took place during press week of the North American International Auto Show.

The ICOTY jury, made up of 12 nationally-renowned automotive journalists selected the 2011 vehicles as the most emotionally compelling new vehicles for the new model year. And the winners are:

2011 International Car of the Year
Hyundai Sonata

2011 International Truck of the Year
Kia Sportage

See ICOTY Awards Special Issue

Sponsored by Bridgestone, the ICOTY Awards celebrate its 15th anniversary this year. “Through good times and bad, Bridgestone has continued to support ICOTY, which has allowed us reach this milestone anniversary for which we are very grateful,” adds Caldwell.

The 2011 International Truck of the Year trophy was presented to Kia Motors America Group President and CEO, Byung Mo Ahn, for the 2011 Kia Sportage. The trophy was presented by jury members, Courtney Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief, Road & Travel Magazine and ICOTY founder; James Bell, VP Corporate Communications and Executive Market Analyst, Kelley Blue Book; and Joe Wiesenfelder, Senior Editor, Cars.com.

Hyundai USA CEO, John Krafcik, accepted the award for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata named International Car of the Year. Presenters included jury members, Courtney Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief, Road & Travel Magazine; James Bell, VP Corporate Communications and Executive Market Analyst, Kelley Blue Book; and Perry Stern, editor of MSNAutos.com.

"While we're proud of the Sonata from a technical and engineering standpoint, this award addresses the fact that our cars are now the sorts of vehicles that appeal to the lifestyle set," said Hyundai CEO John Krafcik. "With sales up more than 110 percent from last year, the Sonata and its all four-cylinder lineup has been a game changer for us, and we're thrilled to be recognized by the ICOTY awards."

"The ICOTY Awards are not based on camshafts and chrome but rather lifestyle compatibility and how well automakers achieve that goal,” said ICOTY executive producer Courtney Caldwell.

Hyundai Motor America CEO, John Krafcik, accepted the award for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata named International Car of the Year. Presenters included jury members, Courtney Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief, Road & Travel Magazine; James Bell, VP Corporate Communications and Executive Market Analyst, Kelley Blue Book; Mike Martini, Bridgestone OE President and Perry Stern, editor of MSNAutos.com. Hyundai Press Release

Rounding out the prestigious presentations was Bridgestone Tire OE President Mike Martini. “It’s our honor to sponsor this award recognizing the excellence in ingenuity by auto manufactures, and we appreciate the longstanding partnerships, both in the showroom and on our highways, we’ve enjoyed with many of them.  We congratulate both Kia and Hyundai on their prestigious awards and look forward to creating world-class products for all manufacturers in the years to come,” said Michael Martini, President Bridgestone’s OE Division, of BATO.

'See more 2011 International Car of the Year Winners here!

About ICOTY
The ICOTY Awards were founded in 1996 by Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief of RTM. Its unique theme was created to celebrate the emotional connection between car and consumer and recognize the automakers that successfully accomplished that goal through the design and marketing of their vehicles to consumer lifestyles. Today, many automakers use the ‘emotional connection’ theme in their national marketing and advertising campaigns.

Media Contact: Courtney Caldwell
Phone: 248.561.5660; Email: icotyawards@gmail.com
www.icotyawards.com