Motor Trend Car of the Year

Motor Trend Car of the Year

In the USA, Motor Trend magazine was the first to give a Car of the Year award. The earliest awards were given to the manufacturer, not to a specific vehicle. To be eligible for the award, a car must be a new model or a fundamental redesign. All vehicles are given the same battery of tests: standard car tests such as skid-pad ratings, acceleration and quarter-mile times, and evaluations of the interiors are combined with a track run conducted by SCCA-licensed testers and taking the cars out on normal roads to test their drivability under normal conditions and fuel economy.

YearMake, Model 
2009 Nissan GT-R Nissan GT-R 
2008 Cadillac CTS Cadillac CTS 
2007 Toyota Camry Toyota Camry 
2006 Honda Civic Honda Civic 
2005 Chrysler 300 Chrysler 300 
2004 Toyota Prius Toyota Prius 
2003 Infiniti G35 Infiniti G35 
2002 Ford Thunderbird Ford Thunderbird 
2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser Chrysler PT Cruiser 
2000 Lincoln LS Lincoln LS 
1999 Chrysler 300M Chrysler 300M 
1998 Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Corvette 
1997 Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet Malibu 
1996 Dodge Caravan Dodge Caravan 
1995 Chrysler Cirrus Chrysler Cirrus 
1994 Ford Mustang Ford Mustang 
1993 Ford Probe GT Ford Probe GT 
1992 Cadillac Seville Cadillac Seville 
1991 Chevrolet Caprice Classic LTZ Chevrolet Caprice Classic LTZ 
1990 Lincoln Town Car Lincoln Town Car 
1989 Ford Thunderbird SC Ford Thunderbird SC 
1988 Pontiac Grand Prix Pontiac Grand Prix 
1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe 
1986 Ford Taurus LX Ford Taurus LX 
1985 Volkswagen GTI Volkswagen GTI 
1984 Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Corvette 
1983 AMC / Renault Alliance AMC / Renault Alliance 
1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 
1981 Dodge Aries / Plymouth Reliant Dodge Aries / Plymouth Reliant 
1980 Chevrolet Citation Chevrolet Citation 
1979 Buick Riviera S Buick Riviera S 
1978 Chrysler, Dodge Omni / Plymouth Horizon Chrysler, Dodge Omni / Plymouth Horizon 
1977 Chevrolet Caprice Chevrolet Caprice 
1976 Chrysler, Dodge Aspen / Plymouth Volare Chrysler, Dodge Aspen / Plymouth Volare 
1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2 Chevrolet Monza 2+2 
1974 Ford Mustang II Ford Mustang II 
1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
1972 Citroën SM Citroën SM 
1971 Chevrolet Vega Chevrolet Vega 
1970 Ford Torino Ford Torino 
1969 Plymouth Road Runner Plymouth Road Runner 
1968 Pontiac GTO Pontiac GTO 
1967 Mercury Cougar Mercury Cougar 
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Oldsmobile Toronado 
1965 Pontiac Motor Division Pontiac Motor Division 
1964 Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company 
1963 AMC Rambler AMC Rambler 
1962 Buick Special Buick Special 
1961 Pontiac Tempest Pontiac Tempest 
1960 Chevrolet Corvair Chevrolet Corvair 
1959 Pontiac Motor Division Pontiac Motor Division 
1958 Ford Thunderbird Ford Thunderbird 
1957 Chrysler Corporation Chrysler Corporation 
1956 Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company 
1955 Chevrolet Motor Division Chevrolet Motor Division 
1954 No award No award 
1953 No award No award 
1952 Cadillac Motor Division Cadillac Motor Division 
1951 Chrysler Corporation Chrysler Corporation 
1950 No award No award 
1949 Cadillac Motor Division Cadillac Motor Division 
Information Provided by Motor Trend Magazine
Motor Trend Car of the Year
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