People
buy cars based on emotion, lifestyle, and personality. Sure,
economics are an important consideration but most people will
gravitate towards a new car or truck that fits the stage they're
in at that particular time of their life. The RTM award themes
are designed to represent the lifestyles and personalities of
those who are buying them as opposed to being based on the chrome,
camshafts, and rpms.
Remove
the fanfare of these imposed personality types and you ultimately
end up with cars and trucks that are simply considered the Best
in Class in each category by RTM awards judges. And, while
automakers may use either the assigned superlative or the traditional
"Best in Class" tag when boasting of their wins to
the public, the bottom line is that either way you look at it,
these winners are the best of the best.
How
are the winners chosen? All year long, RTM journalists road
test up and coming new model vehicles to evaluate them for various
newspapers and magazines articles. They share their insight
and expertise about all the great new features these new products
have to offer. RTM reviews are written by the most knowledgeable,
reputable and respected
automotive journalists in the country. Their comments and
opinions are valued by industry leaders as reliable sources
and can be relied
upon by consumers when making purchasing decisions.
These
same journalists are also called upon each year to provide their
expertise in RTM's annual automotive awards as judges. Ultimately,
three nominees make it to the finals in each of the 10 categories
which include luxury, sports car, entry level vehicle, minivan,
pick up truck, classic car, SUV, station wagon, environmentally
friendly, and topped off with RTM's Car of the Year.