Kelly Blue Book (the US version of the Canadian Black Book) has been busy evaluating 10 redesigned vehicles this year.
For the second consecutive year, Ford has captured Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com “Best Redesigned Vehicle” award, this time for the hot-selling Taurus sedan. Last year, the honor went to the 2009 Ford F-150. The award may have been obvious from the start, according to one of the KBB editors:
The 2010 Ford Taurus became a contender for this year’s Best Redesigned Vehicle during our very first drive, after which one editor wrote: “We haven’t seen such a bold reversal of character since Ben Kingsley traded in his Ghandi robe to play a murderous gangster in Sexy Beast.”
Today’s recognition from KBB is the latest in a string of awards for the 2010 Ford Taurus. Earlier this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Taurus was named International Car of the Year, and it received KBB 2010 Best Resale Value Award in the full-size car category. In January, the 2010 Taurus will serve as the official car of the 2010 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show®) in Las Vegas.
Winners for the 2010 Earth, Wind & Power (EWP) car and truck of the year were officially revealed last night in Los Angeles and the Fusion won: Car of the Year!! Shall we recap the awards that the 2010 Ford Fusion has earned in the last week?
The mission of the EWP Awards is to recognize vehicles that are driven by a power source that help reduce global warming, are conducive to promoting a cleaner environment and support the mission to achieve energy independence through alternative sources.
It’s an unlikely claim, but the Ford Fusion hybrid is in fact the most advanced car on this list. Through the body of this unpretentious family sedan runs the sturdiest bridge between the tech of the 20th century and that of the 21st.
Nominees consist of all-new cars, 2009 10Best winners, cars that were not available for the 2009 competition, and those with significant updates. All cars must fall under our base-price cap of $80,000 and be on sale in January 2010.
Acura TL 6-sp manual • Acura ZDX • Audi A5 2.0T • Audi A6 3.0T • Audi S4 • Audi S5 Cabriolet • Audi TTS • BMW Z4 • BMW 3-series/M3 • Buick LaCrosse • Cadillac CTS/CTS-V • Chevrolet Camaro • Chevrolet Corvette/Grand Sport/Z06 • Ford Fusion/Fusion hybrid • Ford Mustang/Shelby GT500 • Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO • Honda Accord • Honda Fit • Honda Insight • Hyundai Genesis coupe • Infiniti G37 • Jaguar XF/XFR • Kia Forte/Forte Koup • Kia Soul • Lexus HS250h • Lexus IS convertible • Lincoln MKS EcoBoost • Lotus Evora* • Lotus Exige S 260 Sport • Mazda MX-5 Miata • Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 • Mercedes-Benz E-class • Nissan Cube • Nissan 370Z • Pontiac G8 GXP* • Pontiac Solstice coupe* • Porsche Boxster / Cayman • Porsche 911 Carrera • Subaru Legacy • Subaru Outback • Suzuki Kizashi • Toyota Prius • Toyota Venza • Volkswagen Golf*/GTI
It’s the Ford Fusion!
We’ve earned: 2010 Car of the Year®!
MOTOR TREND today announced the Ford Fusion has been named MOTOR TREND’s 2010 Car of the Year®. This year marks the 60th anniversary for the MOTOR TREND award – the longest standing editorial automotive award of its kind.
The Ford Fusion was up against some great competitors (including a couple more Ford products, the Mustang and the all new Taurus):
BMW 7 SERIES
BMW Z4
BUICK LACROSSE
CHEVROLET CAMARO
FORD MUSTANG
FORD TAURUS
HONDA INSIGHT
HYUNDAI GENESIS COUPE
KIA FORTE
KIA SOUL
LEXUS HS 250H
MAZDA3
MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS COUPE
MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS
NISSAN 370Z
NISSAN CUBE
PORSCHE PANAMERA
SUBARU LEGACY
SUZUKI KIZASHI
TOYOTA PRIUS
VOLKSWAGEN GTI
VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN
This year there were six categories to follow for the judging criteria, previously there had been only three criteria: Superiority, Significance, and Value.
Design Advancement – well-executed exterior and interior styling; innovative vehicle packaging; good selection and use of materials.
Engineering Excellence – total vehicle concept and execution; clever solutions to packaging, manufacturing and dynamics issues; cost-effective tech that benefits the consumer.
Intended Function – how well the vehicle does the job its planners, designers, and engineers intended it to do.
Efficiency – low fuel consumption and carbon footprint, relative to the vehicle’s competitive set.
Safety – a vehicle’s ability to help the driver avoid a crash, as well as the secondary safety measures that protect its occupants from harm during a crash.
Value – competitive price and equipment levels, measured against those of vehicles in the same market segment.
Can the 
