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The 2010 Ford Taurus and the Volvo XC60 today were named the International Car and Truck of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

“This award is not centered on power and performance. It’s about how a car reflects our personalities, lifestyles and self-image and how well the automaker achieves that goal through the design and marketing of the vehicle,” said Courtney Caldwell, ICOTY’s creator and executive producer.

The award to the XC60 was handed to Doug Speck, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America.

“This ties a very pretty bow around what’s been a truly amazing year for Volvo,” commented Speck. “The XC60 has not only been recognized by the media but it’s been extremely well received by our customers.” The 2010 XC60 has helped VCNA earn six consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases since June.

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2009 LA: 2010 Ford Taurus, Volvo XC60 – 2010 International Car and Truck of the Year:

All Photos Copyright © 2009 Kap Shah – egmCarTech.

Press Release:

Los Angeles, Dec. 2, 2009 – The 2010 Ford Taurus today was named International Car of the Year (ICOTY) at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The ICOTY award honors new-year model vehicles that foster an emotional connection with consumers. The all-new Ford Taurus was voted the winner of the 14th annual award by a panel of 19 automotive media from around the U.S. representing top newspapers, magazines and Web sites.

With its athletic, upscale design, the 2010 Ford Taurus combines class-leading technologies with confident, engaging driving dynamics. It features an impressive set of standard and available technologies that add convenience, connectivity, safety and value for customers, such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert, MyKey™ parental programmability, Ford SYNC® and Voice-Activated Navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link™.

“Taurus is not just a car you need to get from point A to point B, it is a car you want to arrive in in style,” said Pei-Wen Hsu, Taurus marketing manager. “The new Taurus gives you a little blast of attitude and turns heads around every corner.”

Press Release:

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 2, 2009) – The Volvo XC60 was named 2010 International Truck of the Year today by the International Car of the Year (ICOTY) jury. The award was given to Doug Speck, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, LLC at the Volvo display at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. The XC60 was chosen over 10 new crossovers, SUVs and trucks by a distinguished panel of top automotive journalists.

The XC60 was chosen the winner from a panel of 19 automotive media from around the U.S. and Canada representing top newspapers, magazines and websites. The jurors must consider the ICOTY mission of “honoring vehicles that reflect an emotional connection between car and consumer lifestyles” when making their nominations. “The ICOTY awards are not centered on power and performance,” said Courtney Caldwell, ICOTY’s creator and executive producer. “It’s about how cars reflect our personalities, lifestyles and self image, an attitude most consumers identify with.”

Once approved by the ICOTY nominating committee, the awards jury then bases their decision on a number of important criteria: The vehicle must be new or substantially revised, it must be offered for sale to the general public by the judging deadline of November 16, 2009, and may not have been previously considered for the ICOTY Awards.

The International Truck of the Year award marks the 20th accolade the Volvo XC60 has received since sales began in Europe in late 2008. The XC60 is the first vehicle to offer City Safety as standard equipment. This unique Volvo technology can help the driver avoid frontal collisions at low speed. If the driver is about to drive into the rear of a vehicle and does not react in time, the XC60 will apply the brakes by itself.

- By: Kap Shah