Winners of the 2004 Automobile Magazine Awards

January Issue Recognizes Automobile, Man, Design, Technology, and Racing Car of the Year

NEW YORK, Dec. 11 -- AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE, America's leading automotive lifestyle publication, this week announced the winners of the 2004 AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Awards, recognizing the most significant automobile, man, design, technology, and racing car of the year.

"AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE is proud to recognize these significant achievements in the automotive industry and believes that all of this year's winners have truly risen above the rest in their field," said Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE. "The editorial team and myself are committed to selecting only the very best in each category before giving the AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE seal of approval."

  This year's winners of the coveted 2004 AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Awards are:

  2004 Automobile of the Year: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The Automobile of the Year award honors the most significant, the most groundbreaking, or simply the most fun-to-drive vehicle of a given model year, and for 2004, Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution has come out on top. Though the Mazda RX-8, the Cadillac CTS V, the Porsche 911 GT3, and the Audi A8L came close, the Lancer Evolution won over the AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE editorial staff with its speed, its spacious and comfortable cockpit, and its affordable price (about $30,000). The Evolution also has a great sense of control and is one of the best performance cars on the market.

2004 Man of the Year: Martin Leach

In the wake of his departure from Ford of Europe, Martin Leach receives this year's Man of the Year award, a sign that Ford's loss could be someone else's gain. After his 24 years with Ford and Mazda, Leach has a well-earned reputation as a car nut, one of the very few visionaries of the trade, an excellent engineer and driver, a pragmatic team player, and a genuinely nice guy.

2004 Design of the Year: Toyota Prius

Toyota's Prius is turning heads as the first hybrid to hit the market that appeals to both the eye and the economy. This second-generation Prius's dramatically new interior and exterior design has earned it the title of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE's 2004 Design of the Year, marking Toyota's hybrid as one of the all-around best-looking vehicles on the road.

2004 Technology of the Year: BMW Active Steering

The editors of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE feel that the joint venture among Bosch, ZF, and BMW chassis experts has created the most important development of the year in automobile handling: BMW Active Steering. An integral part of the 2004 BMW 5-series, Active Steering is a revolutionary new way to improve agility, enhance stability, and help with rapid countersteering corrections.

2004 Racing Car of the Year: Williams FW25-BMW

With an engine that weighs less than 200 pounds and pushes out more than 900 horsepower, the Williams FW25-BMW was chosen by AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE as its Racing Car of the Year. By establishing a closer relationship with BMW and Michelin, Williams demonstrates that integration is a key to success in racing.