Camry: Motor Trend Car of Year

The 2007 Car of the Year award is given by Motor Trend Magazine to Toyota Camry. This is the first year the Camry has won the award. The award went to all Camry variations including the hybrid. Said car is the hottest-selling car in the United States.

Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of the auto magazine, "The car is innovative yet has a broad appeal. The Camry is the one car rival automakers all wish they could build. It offers something for nearly everyone - performance, efficiency and roominess - at a price point most Americans can afford."

According to Motor Trend magazine, "The Camry beat 26 other models that were totally new or redesigned in the year prior to Jan. 1, 2007." Entries include 10 cars from Japanese automakers, 6 American models, 5 from Korea, 4 from Germany, and 1 each from United Kingdom and Sweden.

MacKenzie noted that Camry won in a very strong field. He added, "There have never been more choices available to American car buyers. That is a fact of life in the 21st century." Toyota Camry is a midsize car manufactured in Georgetown, Kentucky. 2007 Toyota Camry parts underwent significant upgrades and redesigns to boost appeal, comfort and performance. Camry is consistently ranked as on of the most popular cars especially in North America.

Through October this year, the automaker reported 350,481 sales of Camry. So far, it leads all cars in the United States. Next to Camry is Corolla, which has recorded sales of 330,995. This information was divulged by Autodata Corp.

Motor Trend staffers evaluated the entries according to their innovation in engineering, design, safety and technology; their performance and quality; and whether the vehicle delivers value to the consumer. Last year's winner was Civic, which boasts its sophisticated Honda Civic parts. In the previous month, Mercedes-Benz performance parts in the GL450 were commended since the model was awarded the sport utility vehicle of the year.

For this year's competition, Camry's competitors for the Car of the Year title were Chrysler Sebring, Honda Fit, Kia Rondo, Volvo C70 T5, Saturn Aura, Volkswagen Rabbit, Nissan Altima, and the Mercedes-Benz S Class.

Tom Bailey is a consultant for one of the country’s leading auto parts stores. He is also an editor of a reputable publishing company in his area. He is currently based in Atlantic City, New Jersey with his wife and 3 children.