Motor Trend magazine, the world's automotive authority and part of the PRIMEDIA Consumer Automotive Group, today announced the selection of the Honda Civic as the 2006 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The Honda Civic has an impressive 2006 lineup that includes four new models - all winning the Car of the Year award. Now in its 57th year, the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award is the most coveted and most recognized honor in the automotive industry.

"Honda deserves a standing ovation for not playing it safe again," said Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend. "With the sizzling Si, a sleek coupe, an elegant sedan, and a Hybrid that averages 50 miles per gallon, each model shines through with what Motor Trend looks for when crowning Car of the Year. The engineering passion that Honda Motor Company was founded on radiates from these new Civics."

After two full weeks of intense scrutiny, track testing, performance drives, and walk-around appraisals, Motor Trend editors found each of the 2006 Honda Civic models to be fun to drive and terrific value. With their bold, contemporary styling and innovative technology the new Civics are primed for success in one of the most competitive market segments in the country. For the past nine years the Honda Civic has been the best-selling retail compact car in the U.S., with Honda expecting sales for these new models to be even stronger.

This year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend conducted testing on 28 new models, searching for the automobile that best represents exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most significant development on the new-car scene for 2006. This year's field, the largest to date, included a diverse offering from sports cars to minivans, and a price range from just over $14,000 to almost $75,000. Only truly new or substantially revised cars were considered with the condition that they be available for public sale by January 1, 2006.

The 2006 Motor Trend Car of the Year competition included the following models: Audi A3, BMW 3 Series, Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet HHR, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger, Ford Fusion, Honda Civic, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Azera, Hyundai Sonata, Infiniti M35/M45, Kia Rio, Lexus GS, Lexus IS, Lincoln Zephyr, Mazda 5, Mazda MX-5, Mercedes-Benz CLS, Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Mercury Milan, Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, Pontiac Solstice, Toyota Avalon, Volkswagen Jetta, and Volkswagen Passat.

"This year's field was the largest ever in the history of the Car of the Year award, reflecting the amazing diversity of the U.S. automotive market," said MacKenzie. "Motor Trend is dedicated to finding one worthy winner each year. We recognize the importance and value our readers and the automotive industry place on these awards and that is why we remain committed to delivering the most impartial and thorough vehicle evaluation available. It is about a grueling testing process and suspending judgment until the results are in."

Motor Trend Announces 2006 Car of the Year

The Motor Trend Evaluation Process
Each year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend evaluates eligible vehicles based on three key categories: Significance, Superiority, and Value. Significance refers to impact on the market and looks for mastery and innovation in engineering, technology, design, safety and packaging. Superiority levels the playing field and looks for class-leading levels of performance, style and functionality within its specific competitive set--not among all new vehicles. Finally, the all-important Value question asks, "What does this vehicle deliver in relation to what the consumer has to pay to purchase and own it?"

In making the selection, vehicles are taken to task through thousands of miles of on-track and on-street driving, in a wide variety of weather and road conditions to evaluate many factors, including styling and design; fit, finish and materials; engineering and technology; interior; safety; performance; and value. Additional aspects evaluated included handling balance, response, predictability, and power delivery.

The complete report on the 2006 Motor Trend Car of the Year testing and selection will be published in the January 2006 issue of Motor Trend (on newsstands December 6, 2005). Multimedia coverage of the testing and selection process will be broadcast on Motor Trend Radio, hosted by Bob Long.

About Motor Trend
Motor Trend, a PRIMEDIA publication, was founded in 1949 and has a circulation of 1.1 million and a total readership of 7.1 million. Internationally recognized as the world's number one automotive authority, Motor Trend is one of the leading brands in automotive publishing. The Motor Trend brand is comprised of Motor Trend Classic, motortrend.com; Motor Trend Television; Motor Trend Radio; Truck Trend; Motor Trend International Auto Shows; Motor Trend en Espanol; several international editions including China, Indonesia, Korea; and the renowned Motor Trend Car, Sport/Utility and Truck of the Year Awards program.