DETROIT, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ — An independent panel of automotive journalists has determined the winners of the 2008 Urban Wheel Awards.
Now in its 12th year, the multicultural event is known as the "Academy Awards" of the automotive industry. The Urban Wheel Awards is the only forum where celebrities present awards to the automotive manufacturers, executives, suppliers, dealers, advertising agencies and motorsports organizations who have contributed to diversity in the industry.
"The Urban Wheel Awards honor the pioneering automotive industry leaders who transcend the mainstream and embrace diversity," says Randi Payton, President & CEO of On Wheels, Inc., founder of the awards.
Urban Wheel Awards were presented to the African-American, Asian and Latino automotive executives of the year, as well as the automotive Company and Supplier of the year. Commitment to diversity was also recognized in the racing arena, with the Diversity in Motorsports award. New to the program this year was the Urban Dealer of the Year award.
In addition to people and organizations, Urban Wheel Awards were also presented for the best new car and truck designed to suit the needs of urban drivers.
Finalists were named after the final tally of votes by the panel of judges was made. The judging panel is comprised of 15 journalists from multicultural, automotive, trade, and general market media.
The winners of the Best Automotive Diversity Advertisements for 2007 were also announced. Diversity Automotive Advertisement of the Year awards were given to the advertising agencies that produced the most popular print and television ads geared to African-American, Latino and Asian markets. The general public decided the winner. Consumers were encouraged to log on to the Urban Wheel Awards website at www.urbanwheelawards.com and fifteen other websites to select their favorite ads.
The winners in all categories were honored at the 12th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, held at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on January 15, 2008, during Press Week of the North American International Auto Show.
The 12th Annual Urban Wheel Awards winners are:
African American Executive of the Year
Bennie Fowler
VP, Quality
Ford Motor Company
Asian Executive of the Year
Takeshi Abe
Henry Ford Technical Fellow
Ford Motor Company
Latino Executive of the Year
Victor Nacif
VP Design, Business Aspects
Nissan Design America
Supplier of the Year
Detroit Chassis
Company of the Year
Chrysler LLC
Car of the Year
Chevrolet Malibu
Truck of the Year
Buick Enclave
Diversity in Motor Sports Finalists
National Hot Rod Association
Urban Dealer of The Year
Mike Pruitt Honda
Diversity Advertisements
African American Print
Campbell-Ewald — Chevy Malibu — Turns Up The Heat
African American Broadcast
UniWorld Group, Inc — Ford Edge — On The Edge
Asian Print
AdAsia Communications — Subaru Legacy — The Sweet Spot
Asian Broadcast
GlobalHue — Chrysler Sebring — Sebring
Latino Print -
Bromley Communications — BMW 3 Series — Bilingue
Latino Broadcast
Accent Marketing — Pontiac G6 Convertible — Escape
For more information about the 12th Annual Urban Wheel Awards visit www.urbanwheelawards.com, or call (313) 963-2209.
Source: The 12th Annual Urban Wheel Awards
CONTACT: Jessica Pipkins, +1-313-963-2209 (Office), +1-313-779-5446
(Direct), theprpro@gmail.com, or Shandrial Hudson, +1-301-390-1823,
shudson@onwheelsinc.com, both for Urban Wheel Awards
Web site: http://www.urbanwheelawards.com/
