USA - Kia celebrates with International car of the year award for the Cadenza

 Cadenza Recognized for Distinctive Design, Advanced Technology and Unmatched Value

• All-new 2014 Cadenza premium sedan earns top honors from ICOTY
• Back-to-back ICOTY victories for Kia coincides with Road & Travel Magazine’s 25th anniversary

Kia Motors America (KMA) is proud to announce that Road & Travel Magazine (RTM) has named the 2014 Kia Cadenza as the International Car of the Year (ICOTY) at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The all-new 2014 Cadenza’s stunning design combined with premium amenities and impressive value propelled the Kia brand into the premium sedan segment, and the ICOTY award adds to the growing list of accolades the Cadenza has earned since its launch in early 2013. The award marks back-to-back victories for Kia as the 2013 Optima mid-size sedan was honored by RTM with the ICOTY award last year.

“This year marks Kia’s 20th anniversary in the U.S. market, and in that time, we have become known for taking bold steps. The 2014 Cadenza is another leap forward for the brand and has brought new and affluent customers into our retail showrooms, people who had never considered Kia before,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing & communications, KMA. “To win the prestigious ICOTY award two years running is a clear indication that our products continue to offer a world-class balance of design, amenities and value for today’s discerning car buyers.”

RTM presents two “Of the Year” awards annually, one for car of the year and one for truck. In addition to product attributes such as style, comfort and performance, the awards also consider how well the brand connects emotionally with the consumer through its marketing efforts.  The winners are chosen by the ICOTY jury, which consists of nationally renowned automotive journalists from respected publications such as Consumer Guide® Automotive, MSN Autos, New Car News Syndicate and RTM.

“The Kia Cadenza wins in this category for a variety of reasons, including Kia's remarkable effort to emerge in the entry-lux category,” said Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief of Road & Travel Magazine. “Overall, the car is beautiful and affordable, making upscale style and performance attainable to mid-America. We applaud Kia's rapid rise from underdog to unbelievable!”

The ICOTY award is the most recent in a string of accolades the 2014 Cadenza has received. Just a few months ago, the Cadenza took top honors in Motor Trend Magazine’s full-size sedan comparison test and was named to the 2014 North American Car of the Year short list.

Rolls Royce wins major award for the centenary Alpine Trial.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to announce that the 2013 Centenary Alpine Trial, supported by the company earlier this year, has won 'Best Rally or Tour of the Year' at the prestigious International Historic Motoring Awards in London.

On 14 June 2013, 47 vintage Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts departed from Vienna, wafting through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy before returning to Vienna on 29 June 2013 – exactly 100 years to the day since privateer entrant, James Radley, emphatically completed the original event, helping to cement the marque’s reputation for peerless reliability and mechanical excellence. The cars tackled 1,800 miles over some of the world’s most spectacular and challenging mountain passes.

Echoing events a century ago, a Rolls-Royce Works Team took part in the trial. The original ‘James Radley’ 1913 Silver Ghost was joined by a contemporary homage created by Bespoke designers and craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England. Finished in an exterior hue that takes inspiration from the Radley car, the 2013 Alpine Trial Centenary Ghost features exquisitely crafted Bespoke touches that elegantly tell the story of the 1913 Trial. The clock displays the stages of the rally and timings, whilst inlays to rear picnic tables and the front fascia express the topography and distances of the Alpine route. A hand-painted coachline referencing the four Rolls-Royce motor cars that took part in the 1913 Alpenfahrt and headlining, colour-matched to the hood of Radley’s car, completes a beautiful tribute.

“The Centenary Alpine Trial embraced the spirit of adventure that is synonymous with Rolls‑Royce, and this award is a wonderful conclusion to an extraordinary event,” said Andrew Ball, Corporate Communications Manager. “The 1913 Alpenfahrt led commentators to declare that Rolls-Royce built the ‘Best Car in the World’. The 2013 Centenary Alpine Trial reinforced that message, and demonstrated that the Company continues to do so to this day.”

The International Historic Motoring Awards are the most coveted awards in the classic car industry, showcasing excellence, rewarding innovation and providing the benchmark by which the world of historic cars judges itself. The 'Best Rally or Tour of the Year 2013' trophy was received by Nick Naismith and Tim Forrest of the 20‑Ghost Club at the event last night.

The 1913 Radley car and the 2013 Alpine Trial Centenary Ghost will be reunited at the BMW Museum in Munich on Friday 22 November for the unique ‘Night of the White Gloves’, where visitors are issued with white gloves and invited to explore the cars close up. Both cars will remain on display until the New Year.

Ford Transit Connect wins International van of the year 2014 award.

• All-new Ford Transit Connect wins “International Van of the Year 2014” award, presented at the COMTRANS commercial vehicle exhibition in Moscow
• Ford is first single manufacturer to win the award for two years in a row; wins award for record-equalling fifth time
• Jury of 24 journalists awards Transit Connect 130 points from a maximum possible 163; ahead of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Renault Kangoo; praises fuel economy, design, driveability, load-carrying and safety
• Ford’s previous “International Van of the Year” winners are: the Transit (2001), Transit Connect (2003), Transit (2007), and Transit Custom (2013)
• Transit Connect also available with multi-award winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, the 2012 and 2013 International Engine of the Year.

The all-new Ford Transit Connect is named “International Van of the Year 2014” at the COMTRANS commercial vehicle exhibition in Moscow as Ford becomes the first single manufacturer to win the award for two consecutive years.

Ford registered a record-equalling fifth “International Van of the Year” victory after the jury of 24 European specialist journalists awarded the Transit Connect 130 points from a maximum possible 163 to put it ahead of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (123) and Renault Kangoo (25).

The award for the all-new Transit Connect follows previous successes for the Transit (2001), Transit Connect (2003), Transit (2007) and Transit Custom (2013).

“The all-new Transit Connect has moved the game on for compact vans – and we are really proud to win this significant award again,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president of Product Development, Ford of Europe. “The new Transit Connect is just as tough and hard-working as all our commercial vehicle range, and comes with smart new looks and much lower fuel bills.”

As Ford completely redesigns its entire commercial vehicle line-up over a two-year period, the stylish new Transit Connect joins an all-new four-strong Transit range, alongside the Transit Custom and the forthcoming two-tonne Transit and Transit Courier models to be launched in 2014.

The Transit Connect offers van operators class-leading fuel economy, load carrying ability and durability, with the ECOnetic model delivering 70.6 mpg and CO2 emissions of 105g/km* – a 34 per cent improvement versus the current model. The highly fuel-efficient 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine also offers class-leading petrol economy.

Available in Van, Double-Cab-in-Van and Kombi bodystyles, the Transit Connect also offers a spacious and practical load area with total volumes of 2.9m3 and 3.6m3 with a full bulkhead; maximum payloads of up to 1,000kg match the best in class figure.

“The all-new Transit Connect impressed the jury on a number of fronts, and above all by the fact Ford has succeeded in building a light van with a strong accent on economics – the vehicle is a good answer to the needs of small operators as well as big fleets to reduce the cost of transport of goods,” said Pieter Wieman, chairman of the “International Van of the Year” jury.

“The loading space offers several innovative aspects such as load-through hatch in the bulkhead, fold-up front passenger seat and a sliding side door in the long-wheelbase model which enables a Europallet to be loaded,” Wieman said. “Ford has also paid a lot of attention to durability and safety, subjecting the van to commercial vehicle testing and durability standards, and being first in its class to offer features like Active City Stop.”

The prestigious “International Van of the Year” award adds to Ford’s already impressive performance over the last two years. The Ford Ranger won the “International Pickup Award 2013”, and Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine was named “International Engine of the Year” in 2012 and 2013.

“Our teams across Europe are justifiably over the moon with this great news,” said Stephen Lesh, Transit Connect chief program engineer. “The team has worked tirelessly to deliver the perfect vehicle for our hard-working customers, and this is a wonderful day for all those responsible for the Transit Connect across Europe.”

The all-new Transit Connect is now available to order for delivery in late 2013.