MOTOR TREND Names Toyota Prius 2004 Car of the Year

MOTOR TREND Names Toyota Prius 2004 Car of the Year
The First Hybrid Vehicle to Receive the Coveted Golden Calipers Award 


NEW YORK, Nov. 20  /PRNewswire/ -- MOTOR TREND magazine, the world's #1
automotive authority and part of the PRIMEDIA Consumer Automotive Group, today
announced the selection of the Toyota Prius as the 2004 Car of the Year.  Now in
its 55th year, the title of MOTOR TREND Car of the Year is the most coveted and
most recognized award in the automotive industry.

"We realize the selection of a hybrid vehicle is going to stir controversy, but
we believe the performance, engineering advancements, and overall significance
of the Toyota Prius merits the distinction of MOTOR TREND's Car of the Year,"
said Kevin Smith, editor-in-chief of MOTOR TREND. "The Prius is a capable,
comfortable, fun-to-drive car that just happens to get spectacular fuel economy.
 It also provides a promising look at a future where extreme fuel-efficiency,
ultra-low emissions, and exceptional performance will happily coexist.  That
makes it meaningful to a wide range of car buyers."

After weeks of exhaustive testing, MOTOR TREND editors found the Toyota Prius to
be a user-friendly gas/electric hybrid capable of delivering an impressive 60
miles per gallon in city driving. It is the first of such vehicles to move into
the automotive mainstream, with performance, style and quality.  Spacious enough
to be classified as a midsize sedan, the Prius' futuristic bodywork, innovative
Hybrid Synergy Drive, pleasing interior and five-door hatchback design, clearly
placed it above the competition.

"We're thrilled MOTOR TREND magazine has chosen the Toyota Prius as the 2004 Car
of the Year," said Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager, Toyota
Division.  "This may be the first hybrid vehicle to win the award, but it won't
be the last.  The Hybrid Synergy Drive in the Prius is cutting-edge technology
and we applaud the editors of MOTOR TREND for recognizing its significance in
the evolution of the automobile."

This year, the editorial staff of MOTOR TREND conducted testing on 26 new
vehicles, from sports cars to minivans, searching for the automobile that best
represented exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most
significant development on the new-car scene for 2004.  All truly new or
substantially revised cars were considered with the condition that they be
available for public sale by January 1, 2004.

For the 2004 Car of the Year competition, the following models were included:
Acura TL, Acura TSX, Audi A8 L, BMW 5 Series, BMW Z4, Cadillac XLR, Chevrolet
Malibu and Maxx, Chevrolet Aveo, Chrysler Crossfire, Ford Freestar, Jaguar
XJ8/XJR, Mazda RX-8, Mitsubishi Galant, Mitsubishi Lancer/Ralliart/Evolution,
Nissan Maxima, Nissan Quest, Pontiac Grand Prix, Pontiac GTO, Scion xA, Scion
xB, Subaru Impreza/WRX/STi, Suzuki Verona, Toyota Camry Solara, Toyota Prius,
Toyota Sienna, and the Volkswagen Phaeton.

"Our readers trust the MOTOR TREND brand to provide the most authoritative and
unbiased vehicle evaluation for the Car of the Year award," said Smith. "Each
year our staff dedicates hundreds of hours to vigorous testing and focuses on
identifying the best and most noteworthy automobile to receive the award.  We
are very proud of the credence and trust placed in our selection by our readers
and the automobile industry. "

The MOTOR TREND Evaluation Process

Each year, the editorial staff of MOTOR TREND evaluates the 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, as well as envisioned
sales forecasts for that model line.  Superiority levels the playing field and
looks for class-leading levels of performance, style, and value 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 2004 Car of the Year can be found in the January 2004
issue of MOTOR TREND, on newsstands December 2, 2003.  Additional coverage, with
high-resolution images, will be posted on MOTOR TREND's Web site at
http://www.motortrend.com/media.  Multimedia coverage of the testing and
selection process will appear on MOTORTREND television, hosted by feature editor
John Matthius.

About MOTOR TREND

MOTOR TREND, a PRIMEDIA publication, was founded in 1949 and has a circulation
of 1.27 million and a total readership of 7.1 million. Internationally
recognized as the world's #1 automotive authority, MOTOR TREND is one of the
leading brands in automotive publishing.  The MOTOR TREND brand is comprised of
motortrend.com; MOTOR TREND Television; MOTOR TREND Radio; Truck Trend; MOTOR
TREND International Auto Shows; MOTOR TREND en Espanol; and the renowned MOTOR
TREND Car, Sport/Utility and Truck of the Year Awards program.

About PRIMEDIA

PRIMEDIA is the leading targeted media company in the United States, with
positions in consumer and business-to-business markets.  Our properties deliver
content via print as well as video, the Internet and live events and offer
highly effective advertising and marketing solutions in some of the most sought
after niche markets.  With 2002 sales from continuing businesses of $1.5
billion, PRIMEDIA is the #1 special interest magazine publisher in the U.S. with
more than 250 titles.  Our well known brands include MOTOR TREND, Automobile,
New York, Fly Fisherman, Power & Motoryacht, Creating Keepsakes, Ward's Auto
World, and Registered Rep. The company is also the #1 publisher and distributor
of free consumer guides, including Apartment Guides.  PRIMEDIA Television's
leading brand is the Channel One Network and About is one of the largest sources
of original content on the Internet.  PRIMEDIA's stock symbol is: NYSE: PRM. 

DATASOURCE: PRIMEDIA



CONTACT:  Media - Jocelyn Johnson, [phone],

, or Michelle Alvarez, [phone],

, both for PRIMEDIA



Web site:  http://www.primedia.com/

http://motortrend.com/

http://www.motortrend.com/media 

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