[dommo_g]

Someone thinks it may be possible:

http://www.autobytel.com/content/shared/articles/templates/index.cfm/article_id_int/1018

 

[holeydonut]

I don't think it's possible unless the Caliber shows up very high on the majority of metrics for initial quality and owner satisfaction... or the SRT4 version is just mind numbingly good.

The COY is reserved for cars that completely destroy expectations and raise the bar for what people will expect for that segment or brand. The awards aren't really reserved for imports only though, so the Caliber does stand a chance if the owners out there who are buying the Caliber are very satisfied with their purchase.

What's annoying is that the Motor Trend award has been dished out 2 of the past 3 years primarily due to hybrid options... and that'll probably hurt the Caliber's chances.

Can you believe the Cirrus won the award in 1995? That's nuts.

 

[caliber4whoosh]

The Cirrus? Someone was baked...

 

[dommo_g]

The Cirrus? Someone was baked...

That's why I stopped reading car magazines. They're all in the pockets of GM or Honda.

 

[GOT]

What's with the clowns???

 

[superbang]

What's with the clowns???

yyyeeeeahhh, that was like the dumbest launch i could have ever seen for a car. the caliber deserved better. they even had david spade come on and do something for it, but it still didn't work for me.

 

[caliber4whoosh]

I believe my previous statement works for this too...

Someone was baked...

 

[holeydonut]

That's why I stopped reading car magazines. They're all in the pockets of GM or Honda.

The Cirrus was the Plymouth badge-enginnering version of the Stratus / Breeze... although I do think the cirrus was the only one you could buy in that fancy plum-purple colour (notice the deluxe use of the letter "u")

 

[Greg]

The Cirrus was the Plymouth badge-enginnering version of the Stratus / Breeze... although I do think the cirrus was the only one you could buy in that fancy plum-purple colour (notice the deluxe use of the letter "u")

Err, no. The Cirrus was the Chrysler version of the cloud cars. And don't forget, at the time the Cirrus was released the COTY award was domestic only. They had a seperate award for imports. They didn't combine the awards until the year the Lincoln LS won, IIRC.

 

[holeydonut]

Ah, that's right... Plymouth had that Breeze. Thanks for the correction

Either way, my point is that the COTY award isn't just for GM or Honda... they've given the award to the 300M, TBird, Lincoln LS, PT Cruiser, and 300C.

 

[Greg]

Ah, that's right... Plymouth had that Breeze. Thanks for the correction

Either way, my point is that the COTY award isn't just for GM or Honda... they've given the award to the 300M, TBird, Lincoln LS, PT Cruiser, and 300C.

Very true. Taking a look at Wikipedia, I see that the last year that they had a seperate import car of the year was '99. Since it has been mixed they've had the following:

2000 - Lincoln LS
2001 - Chrysler PT Cruiser
2002 - Ford Thunderbird
2003 - Infinity G35
2004 - Toyota Prius
2005 - Chrysler 300C
2006 - Honda Civic

Want funny? Chevy Malibu won in '97. Seriously. Wow.

The Cirrus was a nice car, and compared to the other American cars in its segment it was a huge step forward.

 

[caliber4whoosh]

Malibu? You shitting me?

Wow...someone was baked..


I think I coined my new favorite phrase..