Auto Magazine Presents their 2003 Readers' Choice All-Star Awards

Vehicles from BMW, Chevrolet, Infiniti, GMC, Honda, Jeep, Land Rover, Mini, Porsche, Volkswagen Receive Honors

Award Winners to Be Honored at Special NYC Gala Event on April 15; BMW Motorcycles, Sirius Satellite Radio, Mothers Car Care And New York Magazine to Be Principal Sponsors

NEW YORK, April 14 -- AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE, America's leading automotive lifestyle publication, announced today its 2003 Readers' Choice All-Stars. Chosen by the four million readers of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE, the award winners represent the best cars and trucks sold in America. The All-Stars will be honored at a special invitation-only awards ceremony to be held Tuesday, April 15th at 6:00 p.m. at New York City's Metropolitan Pavilion, an elegant space that will feature a display of each selected vehicle.

The gala event, sponsored by BMW Motorcycles, Sirius Satellite Radio, Mothers Car Care and New York Magazine, will include an awards presentation by AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Jean Jennings and Executive Editor Mark Gillies along with appearances by top automotive industry executives accepting awards on behalf of their companies.

"Our readers have keen insight into quality in the automotive field," said AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Publisher David Forgione. "AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE is truly a reader's magazine, and we place a great deal of value on the Readers' Choice All-Stars. These awards symbolize the knowledge and devout loyalty of each and every one of our readers."

In each January issue, AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE publishes a ballot form asking its readers to vote for the best vehicles in 14 categories. The results of this survey are published each May as the Readers' Choice All-Stars.

This year, the honors went to vehicles from BMW, Chevrolet, Infiniti, GMC, Honda, Jeep, Land Rover, Mini, Porsche, and Volkswagen. Following is a list of the All-Star winners in each of the categories as well as some incisive commentary from the readers of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE:

      * Best Luxury Car over $40,000:  BMW 7-series - "It represents the
        future in luxury-car thinking." - Charles Terrell, Chattanooga,
        Tennessee

      * Best Luxury Car under $40,000: Infiniti G35 - "The power to move
        worlds, a shape to move hearts, and a price to move wallets." - Will
        Sabel Courtney, Stowe, Vermont

      * Best Small Car: Mini Cooper/Cooper S - "At long last, a German with
        an honest English accent." - John Moroz, Atlanta, Georgia

      * Best Family Car: Volkswagen Passat - "Practical without being a
        boring appliance. Take note, Honda and Toyota." - Bailey Taylor,
        Mount Washington, Kentucky

      * Best Sport Sedan: BMW M5 - "You can pick up your mother-in-law from
        her bridge game and smoke the Mustang driven by the high-school boy
        on the same trip." - Robert Upward, Orangeville, Ontario, Canada

      * Best GT: BMW M3 - "It's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Wait - it's a
        wolf in an Armani suit." - Eric J. Sisco, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

      * Best Coupe: Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe - "The Infiniti allows everyone
        to indulge in the many wonders of the Nissan 350Z without being
        recognized as a boy racer." - Karl Yulo, La Mirada, California

      * Best Supercar: Porsche 911 Turbo/GT2 - "If we put as much effort
        into our jobs as Porsche puts into automaking, we'd all be
        CEOs." - Matt O'Connor, North Attleborough, Massachusetts

      * Best Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette/Corvette Z06 - "It's so fast you
        get whiplash just staring at it, and you still have enough money
        left to buy a neck brace." - David Bickley, Gaylord, Michigan

      * Best Large Sport-Utility Vehicle: Land Rover Ranger Rover - "The
        Hamptons version of a mobile home." - Alex Kravets, New York, New
        York

      * Best Mid-Size Sport-Utility Vehicle: BMW X5 - "Even Keith Bradsher
        would sing its praises." - Brian Wright, Charlotte, North Carolina

      * Best Small Sport-Utility Vehicle: Jeep Liberty - "A great
        interpretation of the original SUV." - Joe Paul, Winter Park,
        Florida

      * Best Pickup Truck: Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra - "The ruggedness
        of John Wayne, the integrity of Jimmy Carter, and the soul of Johnny
        Cash.  An American hero." - Joe Rodriguez, San Francisco, California

      * Best Minivan: Honda Odyssey - "The ability to hold a huge amount of
        cargo, along with a 240-horsepower engine, makes this one family
        hauler that really hauls." - Jimmy Paulovitch, Oakmont, Pennsylvania