Because this is Berlin, the car is also celebrating the victory as the 2008 Gay COTY. Through the end of the month, two Fiat 500's will be pulled by a train through the subway with a sign proclaiming "Happy New Car Of The Year Everybody." Those crazy Germans. [World Car Fans]

U.S. News & World Report Releases 2008 Car Rankings: Honda Still King, GM Rapidly Improving

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. News & World Report today
announced its 2008 Car Rankings, available online at
RankingsAndReviews.com. The 2008 rankings cover the best and worst cars,
trucks and SUVs based on an analysis of consensus opinions from America's
top automotive experts.

New Car Hits

GM shows the greatest improvement from the 2007 to 2008 car rankings
with several new or redesigned vehicles ranking near the top of their
classes. The redesigned Chevy Malibu, all-new Buick Enclave, and redesigned
Cadillac CTS (winner of Motor Trend Car of the Year) fare well in the
rankings.

Experts laud the Malibu (ranked #6 out of 25 midsize cars) for its
driving dynamics, exterior styling and affordability. The new CTS (ranked
#4 out of 14 upscale cars) is praised as an American car that can finally
compete with the BMW and Lexus nameplates. Finally, experts generally agree
that Buick hit a home-run with its all-new Enclave (ranked #3 out of 23
midsize SUVs) based on classy styling and a superb ride. Joining the highly
ranked Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Silverado 1500, these new
entrants help GM to achieve a good overall showing in the 2008 rankings.

The all-new Infiniti G37 and Mazda CX-9 also debut high in the
rankings, as do the newly remodeled Honda Accord, BMW 5-Series, and
Chrysler's minivan siblings the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand
Caravan.

New Car Misses

ome new cars miss the mark. In the same class as the Accord, the
all-new Dodge Avenger places last out of 25 cars. The all-new Nissan Rogue
is also a less-than-stellar performer, placing in the bottom half of the
compact SUV rankings. Surprisingly, the newly redesigned Toyota Highlander
is a merely decent performer among midsize SUVs. The 2007 Highlander was
ranked #1 in its class.

The 2008 Winners

A complete listing of all the car, truck and SUV rankings and
meta-reviews are available at: RankingsAndReviews.com. As of December 13,
2007, the #1 ranked automobiles in the most popular categories are:

Economy Cars: Honda Fit
Midsize Cars: Honda Accord
Upscale Small Cars: Volkswagen GTI
Upscale Midsize Cars: BMW 3-Series
Luxury Cars: BMW 5-Series
Compact SUVs: Honda CR-V
Midsize SUVs: Honda Pilot
Large SUVs: Chevrolet Tahoe
Luxury Midsize SUVs: Lexus RX 350
Full Size Pickups: Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Affordable Sports Cars: Mazda MX-5, Honda S2000, Mazda Speed3 (tied)

As with the 2007 rankings, Honda occupies more #1 ranking spots (7 in
total) than any other nameplate. Honda's Fit, Civic, and Civic Hybrid take
the top three spots on the Economy Cars list.

BMW retains the #1 ranking spot in the popular upscale and luxury car
categories. Among the very competitive upscale midsize cars, the BMW
3-Series remains the benchmark, but now has strong competition from the
Lexus ES and all-new Infiniti G37, each tied for the #2 ranking spot.

Japanese Hybrids Outrank New American Hybrids

For 2008 there are several new entries from GM and Ford in the rapidly
expanding Hybrid segment. The challengers (the new Saturn Aura and VUE
hybrids, Chevy Tahoe hybrid, and siblings Ford Escape / Mercury Mariner
hybrids) underperform the more established Toyota and Honda models. Experts
agree that these newcomers do not yet offer the combination of fuel economy
and driving performance exhibited by the likes of Toyota's Prius and Camry
hybrids.

About The 2008 Car Rankings Methodology

The 2008 rankings of cars, trucks, and SUVs were determined through
U.S. News & World Reports' consensus-based rankings methodology. The top
vehicles are those receiving the highest accolades determined by an
analysis of automotive experts' opinions, safety ratings, and reliability
statistics. [Source: US News & World Report]

Chevrolet Lumina SS Elected "Sports Saloon of The Year" by CAR Middle East

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Leading UAE based magazine and one of the world's most established and authoritative motoring titles, CAR Middle East, has named the Chevrolet Lumina SS as "Best Sports Saloon" for 2007. The 'Car of the Year (COTY)' awards were launched this year to coincide with the 9th Middle East International Motor Show.

According to Shahzad Sheikh, Editor of CAR Middle East, "The Chevrolet Lumina SS has a 6.0-Litre V8 Corvette engine under the bonnet. Need I say more? This all new-car from 'down under' is a fantastic reinterpretation of the cult Lumina SS. No other car offers this level of practicality, performance, and potential tail-sliding fun for the money."

This is the first time the influential Middle East edition of CAR magazine has presented awards in the region and Sheikh added that: 'The Lumina SS edged ahead of some fierce competition to deservedly take the ultimate sports saloon award and perfectly demonstrates GM's renewed commitment to giving us the cars we really want to drive. Well done!" A jury of six regional automotive experts carefully picked the winners from 125 cars in total judging on quality, innovation, engineering, style and relevance to the Middle East market to crown the winners.

The Lumina SS powered by a 6.0-litre V8 engine now delivers standard power of 360hp (net) at 5700 rpm and torque of 530 Nm as measured under the international ECE standard. Bigger 18" alloy wheels improve handling and longitudinal grip for easier acceleration and shorter stopping distance. The bodyshell of the Lumina has been engineered to be extremely stiff and this aids stability. It has high lateral stiffness for handling through three lateral ball joints per side with improved longitudinal compliance. A rubber isolated suspension frame isolates the body from road bumps and drive train vibrations.

An Electronic Stability Program (ESP) system has been incorporated in the Lumina SS to boost safety and ensure the balance of power and performance is in perfect harmony. ESP technology reduces the risk of an accident by preventing the vehicle from skidding in an emergency by specifically slowing down individual wheels.

Driven by its athletic exterior look and authoritative stance, the Lumina SS looks awesome from any angle. Stylish wheel arches immediately set the tone for the superbly crafted external architecture on the Lumina, offering dynamic form, balance and great proportions with a hint of latent muscularity and tautness that sets this car apart from any other.

In the interior, the design philosophy is one of a cocooned space with a serpentine plan view of the instrument panel that enhances the feeling of spaciousness while ensuring that the centre stack controls are of easy reach to the driver, adding to the all round feeling of comfort and ease.

"The short front overhangs, the wheelbase, the wheels out at the corners and the muscular track all point to the Lumina SS as an absolutely well proportioned vehicle," concluded Hossein Hassani marketing manager for Chevrolet in the Middle East. "Add to this muscular powerplant and an interior that exudes luxury and class and you have a car that is beautiful, meaningful and certainly worthy of the prestige of CAR Middle East's award." [GM via 4WheelsBlog]

Playboy's Cars of the Year Best Luxury Sports Coupe: Maserati Gran Turismo Smartest Purchase - Smart Fortwo Best Sports Sedan - Cadillac CTS Best SUV - Land Rover LR2 Best Crossover - Buick Enclave Best Convertible - BMW 335i Best Earth Day Car - Mercedes Benz E320 Bluetec Best Pint Size Performance - Volvo C30 CAR OF THE YEAR - AUDI R8 [Playboy]

Cadillac CTS Honored as Motor Trend's 2008 Car of the Year

Hot-selling sport sedan praised for design and technology

DETROIT - The editors at Motor Trend, one of the world's premiere automotive authorities, announced today that they have chosen the Cadillac CTS as the 2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year.

"Cadillac is truly honored to receive one of the world's most coveted automotive awards," says Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "This is a very meaningful reward for our team that created the all-new 2008 CTS, and a powerful statement to consumers everywhere about Cadillac's product renaissance."

The Motor Trend Car of the Year honor highlights the wide acclaim the 2008 CTS sport sedan has earned around the world and with consumers since its launch earlier this fall. Luxury cars buyers are responding similarly, with CTS U.S. sales jumping 75% in October.

The full report from Motor Trend appears in the January issue of the magazine (on newsstands in early-December) and online at www.motortrend.com. Cadillac was the first automaker ever to win Motor Trend Car of the Year in the magazine's inaugural year of 1949, and again in 1952 and 1992.

# # #

About Cadillac
Cadillac (www.cadillac.com) has been a leading luxury automotive brand since 1902. Cadillac's heritage of dramatic design and technical innovation has undergone a recent renaissance, returning it to the top-tier of luxury brands. Cadillac is a division of General Motors (NYSE: GM). Founded in 1908, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

GTI! Redeem thyself! And in its fifth iteration, the heated up Golf/Rabbit/Golf/Rabbit VW hatch seems to have done just that with the world's motoring press, and the lads and lasses at Automobile are apparently not immune to the car's charms. While the Automobiles don't quite lavish the praise on the DSG that Farago does, they do call it "the best automatic-type transmission we've ever driven." For more superlatives and a rundown of what they've thought of GTIs past, ve haff posted ein link below. – Davey G. Johnson

2007 Automobile of the Year: 2007 Volkswagen GTI [Automobile]

Related:
Automobile Announces Automobile of the Year, All-Stars [Internal]

The heads at Hot Rod got together and lined up an eclectic mix of cars for their top ten of the year list. From a mid-engined, small-block-powered Microbus to '65 Goat kitted out for serious road racing, we like every car on the list but the fastback 1st-gen Mustang dropped onto the '03 Cobra chassis. However, there is one glaring omission: Kirk Hammett's '36 Ford. Maybe we're partial to it because we watched it being built, but that car is simply a work of genius — and we're generally not big on '35/36 Fords. Can we have our five bucks now, Cole? – Davey G. Johnson

Top 10 Cars of 2006 and the HOT ROD of the Year [Hot Rod]

Related:
The Cole Foster/Kirk Hammett '36 Coupe Debuts! [Internal]

The Sydney Morning Herald has compiled a list of the year's worst vehicles available in Oz, and with the exception of the Subaru B9 Tribeca, we're slightly surprised at the results. True to form though, no utes were listed. Oddly, though, the Honda Legend (aka the Acura RL) made the list. Why? According to Morning Herald writer Bill McKinnon, "The Legend demonstrates that supposedly rational, analytical engineers, left to frolic unattended, can do some exceptionally dumb, indulgent things - such as using a devilishly complex all-wheel-drive system, supposedly to mimic a rear-drive car's characteristics, and ending up with a Camry-sized sedan that weighs 1.85 tonnes." What's Australian for "Ouch?" – Davey G. Johnson

The cars we love to hate [Sydney Morning Herald]

Related:
Flying Car Spotted in Australia! Redux [Internal]

Grab your toques, hosers, because it's time for the little green autojournos of the Canadian Dominion to play hail-to-the-Queen, quaff a chilled Molson and run down their favorite vehicles available in a land that is north of most of our states, and features a bay that is larger than San Francisco's or Chesapeake's. Much larger, in fact. It was named after Henry Hudson, and as far as we know, he predates the step-down Hornet, a car which our father admires greatly and was once portrayed by Paul Newman. The bay also features the Belcher Islands, which must be quite humorous after seventeen bottles of Labatt's. Also, there is a track there called Mosport, which we think is almost as good a name as "Sears Point" or "Sacramento Raceway." Click through for the results.

Best New Small Car Under $18,000:
Honda Fit LX

Best New Small Car Over $18,000:
Volkswagen Rabbit 2.5

Best New Family Car $22,000 - $30,000:
Toyota Camry LE

Best New Family Car over $30,000:
Toyota Camry Hybrid

Best New Luxury Car under $50,000:
Lexus ES 350

Best New Prestige Car:
Audi S8

Best New Sports/Performance Car Under $50,000:
Mazdaspeed3

Best New Sports/Performance Car Over $50,000:
BMW 3-series Coupe

Best New Convertible:
Volkswagen EOS 2.0T

Best New Pickup Truck:
Chevrolet Avalanche

Best New SUV/CUV Under $35,000:
Toyota RAV4 - V6 Sport

Best New SUV/CUV $35,000 - $60,000:
Acura RDX Technology Package

Best New SUV/CUV over $60,000:
Mercedes-Benz GL Class

– Davey G. Johnson

Experts Choose The Best Cars In Canada [CityNews]

Related:
Ford's S-Max Takes Car of the Year, Somewhere Else [Internal]

That shadow organization known as the jury for the North American Car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year awards (NAMBLA) has picked its finalists for 2007 — 11 cars and 15 trucks from the '07 model year. The final voting takes place in late December, when 50 automotive journalists (a couple of whom are neither white nor male) will decide the winners, which will be announced at the Detroit show in January. Click through for the finalists.

Car of the year finalists:
Chrysler Sebring
Dodge Caliber
Honda Fit
Infiniti G35
Jaguar XK/XKR
Lexus LS 460
Mercedes S class
Nissan Altima
Nissan Versa
Saturn Aura
Toyota Camry

Truck of the year finalists:
Acura MDX
Acura RDX
Audi Q7
BMW X5
Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban
Chevrolet Silverado
Dodge Nitro
Ford Edge
GMC Acadia
Honda CR-V
Hyundai Santa Fe
Jeep Wrangler
Mazda CX-7
Saturn Vue Green Line
Toyota FJ Cruiser

The "Gang of 46" (actually, no one calls them that, it just sounds cool) of the world's car writers has announced the finalists for 2006 World Car of the Year, culled from an initial list of 27 vehicles. In typical egalitarian style, the group's chosen vehicles run the gamut from econoboxes to luxury flagship sedans and SUVs. The winner will be announced at the New York Auto Show in April (represent!), along with specific picks for performance, design and greeness. One surprise: The Suzuki Swift made the list; Not so much: The Fiat Grande Punto didn't. [Click through for the list.]

· BMW 3-Series
· Honda Civic / Civic Hybrid
· Land Rover Range Rover Sport
· Lexus IS
· Mazda MX-5
· Mercedes-Benz M-Class
· Mercedes-Benz S-Class
· Porsche Cayman S
· Suzuki Swift
· Volkswagen Passat

Related:
It s Official: Ferrari F430 is Jalopnik s Car of the Year [internal]

Our pal Punkey zapped us the results of TopGear's awards for 2005, including runners-up. As most watchers figured, the Bugatti Veyron won for Best Car, beating the Jalopnik pick — the Ferrari F430 — and the BMW M5, which we won't get to drive until January (knock on wood). The Ferrari also lost to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the Best Noise category. Man, we really have to get across the pond more often. Click through for more results.

Best Car:
Ferrari F430
BMW M5
Bugatti Veyron (Winner)

Biggest Surprise:
Honda Civic
Nissan Murano
Audi RS4 (Winner)

Ugliest Car:
Ssangyong Kyron
Ssangyong Rodius
Ssangyong Musso
BMW 3-series (Winner)

Best Noise:
Ferrari F430
Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Winner)

Gas Guzzler:
Range Rover Sport
Bugatti Veyron
Hemel Hempstead
Ford GT (Winner)

Coolest Car:
Porsche 911 (Hammond and May's Winner)
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Clarkson's Winner)

Related:
TopGear Nominates Bugatti Veyron as Car of the Year [internal]

There's this magazine based outta Ann Arbor, a town whose only connection to San Pedro is that the city's most famous rock band's current bass player lives here. Nevertheless, near-lack of Pedro cred aside, their yearly 10Best list is generally one of the most widely well-regarded in the industry. It's after the jump.

* Acura TSX - Best Sports Sedan
* Audi A3 - Best Sports Compact
* BMW 3-series - Best Luxury Sports Sedan
* Chevrolet Corvette - Best Performance Car
* Chrysler 300 - Best Full-Size Sedan
* Ford Mustang GT - Best Muscle Car
* Honda Accord - Best Family Sedan
* Mazda MX-5 - Best Roadster
* Mazda RX-8 - Best Sports Coupe
* Porsche Boxster - Best Luxury Sports Car

Car and Driver Ranks Best for 2006 [KSBI]

Related:
Car and Driver to Go Hollywood Again? [Internal]

We've always been uncomfortable calling the Detroit Free Press "Freep," an obvious diminutive for its relative tongue-twister of a name. Such cuteness doesn't make us think of hard-boiled newsmen facing down minus-10-degree wind chills to chase an elusive lead on the wrong side of town, stopping only to knock back a shot of rotgut, for warmth and courage, from the flask hidden in his overcoat; it makes us think of Muppets. Nonetheless, the (ahem) Freep has chosen the 2006 Chevrolet SSR HHR and Ford Explorer for Car and Truck of the Year, explaining their picks in terms of bang for the buck. All righty, Mr. Freep, but can you tell me how to get to Mr. Hooper's store?

Chevy HHR & Ford Explorer: The Detroit Free Press Car and Truck of the Year [DetroitWonk]

Related:
GM in Detroit: Rolling on the Riverwalk [internal]

As the vote continues over at Cnet's Tech Car of the Year polling place, the 2006 BMW 750 Li and 2005 Acura RL are locked in an epic battle for pocket-protector superiority. Will the Bimmer's oft-maligned iDrive usurp its drive-by-wire in readers' minds, putting it at a disadvantage against the Acura's raft of "What th'" tech, including a wacky electro-acoustical approach to canceling road noise? Will a dark horse bearing the three-pointed star emerge in the eleventh hour to sweep the race? When will we stop asking freaking questions?

Tech Car of the Year [Cnet]

Related:
One Columnist s Dream Car Stereo [internal]

Opel's new-for-'05 compact van Zafira and concept Antara CTC took home awards handed out by a committee of around 140 German auto journalists. The Antara took home "Best Concept," while the Zafira won its class. We're sure all of this is very exciting to Opel, but frankly, we stopped caring about anyone else's Car of the Year after our own contest was over. Take that, scribes!

Motor Journalists Choose Two Opels as Top Cars 2006 [Auto Spectator]

Related:
It's Official: Ferrari F430 is Jalopnik's Car of the Year [Internal]

In a bout of self-referential goofiness, the kids over at CorvetteBlogger have chosen the Z06 as their Car of the Year. From the press release: "We reviewed several cars for this award and actually narrowed our search to three vehicles," said Keith Cornett, Senior Editor of CorvetteBlogger.com. "The Corvette Coupe and the Corvette Convertible models were considered, But the Z06, with its heart-thumping 505 horsepower and relatively low super car price of $65,800 made the decision easy." Now we just need Fleshbot's Car of the Year and the roundup may well be complete.

CorvetteBlogger

Related:
MPH Picks Corvette Z06 as Top Spin of the Year [Internal]

We didn't get to drive the Corvette Z06 this year (something about a "Death Watch" of some sort). If we had, the mast-topping 'Vette may have figured more prominently among our own year-end list. MPH selected the Z06 to ride atop its "Top Ten Spins of the Year," for a reason that seems obvious, at least in theory, considering the car's $65,000 price tag. It's about value. "The new Corvette Z06," they write, "is, dollar for dollar, the best sports car in the world, and unequivocally the best American car ever made." (They picked the Jalopnik Car of the Year, the Ferrari F430, for the #2 spot.)

Top Ten Spins of the Year: Number 1 [MPH]

Related:
Over the Back Fence: Corvette LS9 for 2008 [internal]

Farago may have lost out to Jalopnik readers' pick of the Ferrari F430 as Jalopnik Car of the Year (over his lobbying for the Porsche Boxster S), but in his own admittedly less democratic venue, The Truth About Cars, the Boxster S trounced the competition. It's less about the looks of it (it still resembles a hairdresser's ride, despite recent improvement) than the feel and sound of the thing. "The Boxster S s true genius lies in its ability to reward drivers of all talents and abilities, at all speeds," he says, and that pretty much sums it up. Oh, and there's a whole bit about tools that makes us want to skip down to Home Depot and see what ol' Mister DeWalt is up to.

TTAC Car of the Year [The Truth About Cars]

Related:
Choosing Jalopnik s Car of the Year: Farago s Plea for the Boxster S [internal]