Video: Motor Trend Names Ford F-150 2009 Truck of the Year
December 16 2008 - 6:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
- Editors call 2009 the closest vote in Truck of the Year history -
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Motor Trend
(http://www.motortrend.com/), the leading automotive authority and
part of Source Interlink Media, LLC, a subsidiary of media and
marketing services company Source Interlink Companies, Inc
(NASDAQ:SORC), today announced the selection of the all-new Ford
F-150 as its 2009 Truck of the Year(TM). The complete report on
Motor Trend's 2009 Truck of the Year is available online and will
be published in the magazine's February issue, available on
newsstands January 6, 2009. To view the Multimedia News Release, go
to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/motortrendsportutilityoftheyear/35088/
"The stakes were high and the field of contenders was among the
best yet for this year's voting," said Angus MacKenzie, editor in
chief of Motor Trend. "Despite the downturn in the economy, the
pickup truck remains the automotive backbone of America, providing
a tough, durable workhorse for business and recreational users
alike. No matter what shape the American auto industry emerges from
the current crisis, the pickup truck will remain a key part of the
American automotive landscape. "It was a tough call, but ultimately
the F-150 prevailed for the third time in its production history,"
said MacKenzie. During judging, editors praised the low noise
levels and interior materials quality. Handy features like the
Tailgate Step, Box Side Step, a stowable bed-extender, and rear
seats that fold up with one hand to reveal a broad, flat load floor
helped tally a strong superiority score. To achieve high payload
and towing numbers, Ford retained traditional leaf-springs on the
rear axle but made them longer to smooth the ride and wider with
new mounting hardware to improve lateral rigidity and roll control.
The chassis engineers tuned the steering for pleasing heft and
remarkable accuracy that had many judges lauding the F-150 for
feeling smaller and nimbler than the competition. Ford claims it
sells more of its half-ton pickups to work and commercial customers
than its competitors, and the company predicts this segment will
grow to 45 percent of F-150 sales. To that end, the truck's fully
boxed chassis is further fortified to provide best-in-class
rigidity, payload capacity (up to 3030 pounds), and tow ratings (up
to 11,300 pounds). As such, the new F-150 is well positioned to
capture contractors migrating down-market out of Super-Dutys to
save money and gas with a new six-speed automatic, a lighter, more
aerodynamic cab, and other tweaks to boost fuel economy by 12
percent with the 5.4-liter engine. MacKenzie continued, "In the
end, we do believe work trucks will come to dominate this segment
and we happily give the golden calipers to the highly capable,
broad-reaching Ford in the closest vote in Truck of the Year
history." The 2009 Field of Contenders The Ford F-150 was one of
four trucks eligible for the Truck of the Year title. The other
contenders were the Dodge Ram 1500, Suzuki Equator and the Hummer
H3T. To be eligible for Truck of the Year, a vehicle must be
totally new or redesigned, and released in the 12 months prior to
January 1, 2009 (cars with modifications such as new engines or
that are variants of existing models are not eligible). About the
Testing and Evaluation Process Motor Trend subjected all Truck of
the Year contenders to a series of rigorous on- and off-road
testing at the Yucca, Arizona proving grounds. Editors tested two
versions of each contender, with different engines, transmissions
and body configurations to better evaluate the breadth of
capabilities in such diverse areas as towing power, dirt and gravel
road handling and stop and go traffic. Each year, the editorial
staff of Motor Trend has evaluated eligible vehicles for its "Truck
of the Year" based on three key categories: Significance,
Superiority and Value. Significance refers to innovation in
engineering, technology, design, safety and packaging. Superiority
levels the playing field and looks for class-leading levels of
vehicle dynamics and performance, build quality and execution, and
how well the vehicle performs its intended function. 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?" High-resolution images of the winner are available upon
request and at http://www.motortrend.com/media. Multimedia coverage
of the testing and selection process will be broadcast on Motor
Trend Radio, hosted by Bob Long. About MOTOR TREND MOTOR TREND,
part of Source Interlink Media, LLC was founded in 1949 and has a
circulation of 1.1 million and a total readership of 7.1 million.
Internationally recognized as one of the leading brands in
automotive publishing, MOTOR TREND comprises Motor Trend Magazine;
the award-winning website motortrend.com; 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. Source Interlink Companies, Inc.
(NASDAQ:SORC), a $2.2 Billion media and marketing services company
operating in 25 states, is a leading U.S. distributor of home
entertainment products and services and one of the largest
publishers of magazines and online content for enthusiast
audiences. Source Interlink Media, LLC publishes over 75 magazines
and 90 related web sites. Source Interlink Distribution services
tens of thousands of retail store locations throughout North
America distributing DVDs, music CDs, magazines, video games,
books, and related items. In addition to distributing over 6,000
distinct magazine titles annually, the Company maintains the
largest in-stock catalog of CDs and DVDs in the U.S. -- a combined
total of more than 260,000 titles. Supply chain relationships
include consumer goods advertisers, subscribers, movie studios,
record labels, magazine and newspaper publishers, confectionary
companies and manufacturers of general merchandise.
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/motortrendsportutilityoftheyear/35088/DATASOURCE:
Motor Trend CONTACT: Media, Jocelyn Johnson, Public Relations of
Gravitas Communications, +1-212-924-9500, ; or Investors, Robert L.
Carl, Vice President, Investor Relations & Strategic
Development, Source Interlink Companies, Inc., +1-239-949-4450 Web
Site: http://www.motortrend.com/
Copyright
Source Interlink (NASDAQ:SORC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2024 to Oct 2024
Source Interlink (NASDAQ:SORC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Oct 2023 to Oct 2024