Pet Safe Vehicle of the Year Ford Edge

Okay, we have to admit that when we first heard of this award, we chuckled a bit to ourselves. Pet Safe Vehicle of the Year, really? No one ever really thinks about the safety of their pets when choosing their vehicle except for maybe Bark Buckle UP’s founder Pet Safety Lady, Christina Selter.

"Most people don’t think about it, but in only a 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet it becomes a 2,700-pound projectile. This will injure the pet, passengers, driver or the pet may escape the vehicle and cause a second accident or become agitated and bite the first responder that is on scene doing their job," stated Selter.

With this in mind, Selter announced this year’s Pet Safe Vehicle of the Year, the Ford Edge. The award was accepted by Brett Burin, Ford Edge Marketing Manager.

"We look ahead with excitement this summer to the arrival of the new 2011 Edge, which adds even more revolutionary technology and class-leading performance. And with a suite of safety features, flexible seating and nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo space, the Ford Edge is perfect for those traveling with pets," said Brett Burin, Ford Edge Marketing Manager.

We still think it is a little silly, but, hey, if it is grand enough to be done at the 2010 New York Auto Show then it has our attention and little Fido’s attention too.

Press Release

Bark Buckle UP – the recognized leader and experts for pet travel safety – awarded the Pet Safe Choice Vehicle Awards "TOP DOG" today at the 2010 New York International Auto Show. This year, Bark Buckle UP’s founder Pet Safety Lady Christina Selter and her furry friends awarded "TOP DOG" Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice and announced the Pet Safe Hotel, Retailer, and Airline of choice. During the presentation, Greg Kleva, host of Martha Stewart radio show "It’s a Dogs Life," the Pet Safety Lady, and furry friends wearing the Doggie Seat Belt hopped in and out of cars and stole the show with their animal antics and demonstrations of dog and car travel safety.

This year’s Pet Safe winners included the Ford Edge (Vehicle of the Year), BassPro Shops (Retailer of the Year), Sheraton Hotels (Hotel of the Year) and Southwest Airlines (Airline of the Year).

"Most people don’t think about it, but in only a 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet it becomes a 2,700-pound projectile. This will injure the pet, passengers, driver or the pet may escape the vehicle and cause a second accident or become agitated and bite the first responder that is on scene doing their job," stated Selter.

The registered vehicles are evaluated on a variety of pet-related aspects, including how easily the vehicle accommodates animals and kennels of various sizes, ease of access to pet from within the vehicle, ease of pet entry and exit, ventilation for animals in the rear, as well as whether the vehicle has pet-friendly surfaces, adaptability for third party pet travel or safety gear. Ford received four out of the top ten honors for 2010 Pet Safe Vehicles of Choice List, including the Ford Transit Connect, Edge and Flex and the Lincoln MKT.

"With more than 340,000 vehicles sold since it was originally launched in late 2006, the Ford Edge has been meeting the needs of customers who demand style, technology, performance and capability in a compelling package," said Brett Burin, Ford Edge Marketing Manager. "We look ahead with excitement this summer to the arrival of the new 2011 Edge, which adds even more revolutionary technology and class-leading performance. And with a suite of safety features, flexible seating and nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo space, the Ford Edge is perfect for those traveling with pets."

Doggie Seat Belt is the newest As Seen On TV product to offer real solutions to problems without breaking the bank. "When the weather is nice, you see dog heads hanging out the window all of the time," said Anand "Andy" Khubani, President and CEO of Ideavillage Products Corp. and distributor of the Doggie Seat Belt. "Since we all love our pets and enjoy taking them with us, Doggie Seat Belt was designed to be as easy and convenient as possible to buckle up our pets when they are in the car. This should help to decrease the chance of injury to a dog or passenger in the event of an accident."

The 2010 Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice TOP DOG Ford Edge award was accepted by Burin.

2010 Pet Safe Retailer, Hotel and Airline

 BassPro Shops
 Sheraton Hotels
 Southwest Airlines

Statistics

 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet unrestrained becomes a 2,700-pound projectile
 98% of dogs do not travel properly restrained in a moving vehicle
 Driver distraction causes more accidents than any other issue
 82% of pets travel on vacation with their owners
 Pet friendly lodging has increased 300% since 2005
 Over 70 million homes in America have a pet

World Car of the Year Volkswagen Polo

The 2010 World Car Awards closed today at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Taking home the prestigious award for 2010 World Car of the Year was the Volkswagen Polo beating out the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Toyota Prius. Volkswagen took the majority vote of the 59 World Car jurors after they test drove the 30 entries from July 2009-January 2010. Walter de Silva, head of design Volkswagen Group, attributes this success to the Polo’s “uncomplicated, unique and timeless design plus its high efficiency”. This is Volkswagen’s second triumph in this category with the success of the Volkswagen Golf as last year’s World Car of the Year.

"We’re honored that the Volkswagen Polo was chosen by this distinguished group of jurors," said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. "After the great triumph of the Golf last year, we are delighted to repeat this success with the new Polo. These automobiles have reaped numerous awards, winning well-nigh every prize the automotive industry has to award. This shows Volkswagen is on the right track and is offering arguably the best range of products in its history."

Follow the jump to see the nominees and winners in the other categories of the 2010 World Car Awards.

World Car Design of the Year

 Chevrolet Camaro WINNER
 Citroën C3 Picasso
 Kia Soul

World Performance Car

 Audi R8 V10 WINNER
 Ferrari California
 Porsche 911 GT3

World Green Car

 Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) WINNER
 Honda Insight
 Toyota Prius

Press Release

At the New York International Auto Show in Manhattan today the Volkswagen Polo has been declared the 2010 World Car of the Year. Merit, value, safety, environment, significance and emotional appeal are the criterias for the World Car of the Year. Already in 2009, a Volkswagen model ranked the highest: the Golf. This year the top three contenders for World Car of the Year title were, in alphabetical order, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen Polo.

"We’re honored that the Volkswagen Polo was chosen by this distinguished group of jurors," said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. "After the great triumph of the Golf last year, we are delighted to repeat this success with the new Polo. These automobiles have reaped numerous awards, winning well-nigh every prize the automotive industry has to award. This shows Volkswagen is on the right track and is offering arguably the best range of products in its history."

The award was received in New York City on thursday morning by Walter de Silva, head of design Volkswagen Group. „The new Volkswagen Polo generation fascinates both ways - by its uncomplicated, unique and timeless design plus its high efficiency. Already more than 230,000 customers worldwide placed their orders."

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind. The majority of the 59 World Car jurors from 25 countries throughout the world chose the Polo from 30 entries. Each juror drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their on-going full-time professional work. Through their respective outlets they collectively reach an audience of many millions worldwide.

Automotive Ad of the Year Kia Soul

We are sure we are not the only ones that resort to channel surfing when our favorite TV show becomes the victim of yet another commercial break, but we are also sure that no one was dumb enough to change the channel when the Kia Soul commercial came on the big screen. The commercial opens up in a quiet neighborhood featuring hammers commuting in their ever-revolving hamster wheels. As the run-of-the-mill hamsters truck along aimlessly on their circles of death, a bright red Kia Soul thumping to music by Marz featuring Pack and Mumiez comes rolling along. Inside, the hip, music-loving rodents are bobbing their heads and tapping their paws expressing just how cool they really are. With a quick, cool guy...umm cool hamster nod, the Soul rolls on its way to wherever the young, trendy hamsters are hanging out these days illustrating their “new way to roll”.

It is because of this hilarious commercial that Kia has won the “Automotive Ad of the Year” award from the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards event at the 2010 New York Auto Show. This is their fourth year doling at such awards and the winners are chosen by a panel of TV viewers who watch the programs and commercials in a non-controlled, natural environment and then answer survey questions about what they have seen.

"Truly effective advertising starts with a great creative idea," said Nielsen Automotive President Lois Miller. "When you combine that idea with a memorable and unique hook that grabs viewers’ attention, you are going to get the results that we saw from Kia this year."

Cadillac CTS – ‘Kate Walsh’

Chevrolet Silverado – ‘Howie Long Truckers Truck’

Press Release

Already a recipient of numerous accolades including a "2010 Automotive Excellence Award" from Popular Mechanics and being recognized as the "Best Hatchback of 2010" by Cars.com, the new 2010 Kia Soul was honored yet again today at the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards event in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show when the TV commercial for the uniquely styled urban passenger vehicle was named "Automotive Ad of the Year."

Created by David&Goliath, the Soul spot depicts city and suburban streets inhabited exclusively by hamsters who are mindlessly running in place inside their exercise wheels until a molten red Kia Soul pulls up to a stoplight and the passenger window rolls down to reveal a trio of paw-tapping, music-loving hamsters who have discovered "A New Way to Roll."

Portraying Soul as a lounge on wheels with its highly specified audio system that includes speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music, the hamsters bob their heads to four different music tracks that appear in slightly different versions of the spot to keep each viewing fresh. Viewers with a sharp eye can identify song and artist information on the hamsters’ iPod screen, and the campaign extended online with each track available for download at www.kiasoul.com.

"The Soul was designed to stand out in a sea of sameness and that same philosophy guided the creative development of the hamster campaign and to position Soul as Kia’s affordable halo vehicle," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing, Kia Motors America. "Soul was the first vehicle to emerge from Kia’s design-led transformation, and the hamsters quickly became a viral success and grabbed the attention of young and young-at-heart buyers looking for something with a unique personality and turned Soul into an overnight sales success story for the brand."

The Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards are based on results from Nielsen IAG’s National Ad Effectiveness Study which employs an online panel of TV viewers who have watched programs within a natural viewing environment (as opposed to a clinical research environment) in the past 24 hours. Panelists answer survey questions about the programs they watched and the commercials they were exposed to. Finalists for the 2010 IAG Automotive Advertising Awards are determined based on ad performance results from commercials which were launched in calendar year 2009.

"Truly effective advertising starts with a great creative idea," said Nielsen Automotive President Lois Miller. "When you combine that idea with a memorable and unique hook that grabs viewers’ attention, you are going to get the results that we saw from Kia this year."

Soul offers an immense amount of style and value on top of an extensive list of standard safety features sure to appeal to all consumers looking for a well-equipped vehicle suited to their personalities, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags, an Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard.

Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, the five-door hatchback offers an attractive starting price below $14,000(1) as well as unique and utilitarian style. Designed with the young and young-at-heart in mind, Soul presents an immense amount of style, value and function with a relatively small footprint and surprisingly spacious interior. Passengers will find comfort Soul’s roomy cabin, usefulness from Soul’s efficient cargo carrier with 14 storage zones and will benefit from numerous standard convenience features, including an AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS® Satellite Radio capabilities (including a three month complimentary subscription)(2), and USB and auxiliary input jacks in the center console with full iPod®(3) and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls (achieved with an optional Kia accessory cable).

KMA has released three special edition Souls — Denim, Ignition and Shadow Dragon — based on the Soul+ trim, including Denim Soul, Ignition Soul and most recently Shadow Dragon Soul. Offering consumers even more ways to personalize the Soul, each special edition comes with its own unique exterior color and packaging.