AUTOMOBILE Magazine Announces Chevrolet Volt as 2011 “Automobile of the Year”

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AUTOMOBILE Magazine, America’s leading automotive lifestyle publication, announced today via Facebook that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt is the 2011 AUTOMOBILE Magazine Automobile of the Year. Today’s announcement was followed by the brand also honoring winners of its Design, Man and Technology of the Year. The awards will be presented during the Los Angeles International Auto Show Nov. 17.

“There has never been a more colorful, more controversial, or more powerful Man of the Year”

A first for the brand, AUTOMOBILE Magazine chose Facebook as the medium to break news of its winner with a live video reveal on its fan page and website. The move marks the latest step in the expanding multi-media strategy for the magazine as its editors chatted in real time with fans about the winners as they were announced to the world.

Perhaps the most hotly anticipated car of 2011, the Chevrolet Volt represents a first for both General Motors and AUTOMOBILE Magazine. GM’s first mass-market electric vehicle since the ill-fated EV1 is the first EV to be considered by AUTOMOBILE Magazine as a finalist for the brand’s prestigious award.

Developed from a 2007 concept, and billed as the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle with extended range, the Volt has a total driving range of more than 300 miles. With an innovative drive system not found in any other production car, many owners will be capable of driving anywhere from 25 to 50 miles emissions-free. When the Volt’s lithium-ion battery pack is depleted, a small gasoline powered engine/generator operates to provide electricity to the motor, extending the driving between charging and negating consumer ‘range anxiety’ found in other electric offerings.

“On its way to becoming AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s 2011 Automobile of the Year, the Chevrolet Volt endured more scrutiny and skepticism than any of the nine other semifinalists,” said Associate Editor Eric Tingwall of the announcement. “It is genuinely an all-new car, in the most simplistic sense as well as in the greater notion that the Volt is unlike any vehicle we have ever driven.”

In addition to matters like practicality, affordability, packaging and fuel economy, editors considered what the vehicle signifies for both the manufacturer and the automotive industry when selecting the candidates and, ultimately, the winner of the award. Finalists for the 2011 AUTOMOBILE Magazine Automobile of the Year were determined by a primary ballot vote of the senior editorial staff and contributing writers of AUTOMOBILE Magazine.

“Announcing our awards on Facebook gave us an opportunity to interact live with our readers about our biggest story of the year,” said Jean Jennings, President and Editor in Chief of AUTOMOBILE Magazine. “Having this sort of instant communication with our readers is special. Facebook offers a new level of direct access for our readers and fans to experience content from AUTOMOBILE Magazine not afforded through the website alone.”

In addition to the Chevrolet Volt being named the 2011 AUTOMOBILE Magazine Automobile of the Year, the brand also announced the following winners for Design, Man and Technology of the Year. Full stories on all the award winners can be found in the January 2011 issue of the publication.

Design of the Year – Jaguar XJ

Editors chose the redesign of the Jaguar XJ as AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s Design of the Year because, as Design Editor Robert Cumberford states, “The 2011 model is gloriously, magnificently different from the forty-two-year-old XJ design template. It looks—and is—powerful, refined, and aerodynamic.” The magazine’s praise for the XJ’s design continues to its sumptuous cabin. “To me,” Cumberford continues, “the best part of Jaguar’s total renewal lies inside. Mark Phillips, head of interior design, has totally transformed Jaguar interiors without diluting the essence of what made Jaguars so desirable.”

Man of the Year – Dr. Ferdinand K. Piëch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG

The man who pulls all the strings at the vast Volkswagen Group, Dr. Ferdinand Piëch is celebrated as this year’s Man of the Year for his decades of game-changing contributions to the automobile industry. “There has never been a more colorful, more controversial, or more powerful Man of the Year,” writes European Bureau Chief Georg Kacher, who has known Piëch for nearly four decades. “Behind the carefully cultivated bad-boy image lurks the greatest visionary of the trade. No other living captain of the automotive industry has whipped this business forward with the same foresight and determination.”

Technology of the Year – Electric Vehicles

The electric vehicle will come of age in 2011, says AUTOMOBILE Magazine. With both the Volt and the Leaf coming to market as mainstream electric options, 2011 is sure to be a banner year for those that espouse the virtues of the lowly electron to power their cars. “This is not to suggest that Ferrari’s screaming eight- and twelve-cylinder engines are obsolete,” maintains Technical Editor Don Sherman. “Nor that hybrid vehicles are passé. But we are convinced that electric propulsion is ready to finally assume a significant role as one of several powertrain options for the future.”

The AUTOMOBILE Magazine Automobile of the Year celebrates its 22^nd year with the 2011 awards. Winners have varied in price point over the years to include everything from their least expensive winner, the 1994 Dodge/Plymouth Neon, selling at the time for $9500, to the most expensive winner, the 2008 Audi R8, priced at $110,000.

About AUTOMOBILE Magazine

AUTOMOBILE Magazine, part of Source Interlink Media, LLC, is America's leading automotive lifestyle publication and reaches 4.6 million readers monthly; through its print, online and digital components the brand counts an audience of over 6 million. Arbiters of the "All-Star" awards, AUTOMOBILE Magazine profiles upcoming car designs from leading manufacturers. It is written for the sophisticated enthusiast and profiles high-end vehicles with compelling editorial and photographic content. For nearly 25 years, AUTOMOBILE Magazine has set the standard for automotive journalism, maintaining its devotion to auto adventure and an editorial approach that emphasizes "No boring cars!"

Source Interlink Media is the premier source of special interest media in the United States. With more than 70 publications, 90 websites, 400 branded products, 65+ events, and TV and radio programs, SIM is the largest provider of content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, marine and other niche activities. The division's strategy is to wholly focus on targeted audiences by leveraging and expanding upon its core market-leading brands through a multiplatform media approach.

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