The Rocky Mountain Automotive Press, an automotive press club covering the Rocky Mountain region to include a total of 10 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, and Wyoming, announced its picks for the Rocky Mountain Car of the Year, Rocky Mountain Truck of the Year, and Rocky Mountain Crossover-SUV of the Year at the exclusive Charity Preview party for the Denver Auto Show. The Denver Auto Show is the nation’s second-oldest ongoing automotive show and is now open to the public. Vehicles of the year are marked with banners from RMAP to designate them as this year’s picks.
As Vice President of RMAP, I was privileged to be a part of both the nomination and final selection process. Nominations were taken from RMAP membership at large once nominees were vetted for eligibility. Eligibility requirements included being new or significantly new for the model year and available for test driving by RMAP membership in the regional press fleet and/or at the annual Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Rocky Mountain Driving Experience event.
Car of the Year: 2016 Honda Civic
The Rocky Mountain Automotive Press chose the 2016 Honda Civic as its Car of the Year in this 10th annual Vehicle of the Year award. Finalists included the Jaguar F-TYPE R and the Nissan Maxima.
Crossover-SUV of the Year: 2016 Volvo XC90
The Volvo XC90 was chosen as the Crossover-SUV of the Year by RMAP. Finalists included the Hyundai Tucson and the Nissan Murano.
Truck of the Year: 2016 Toyota Tacoma
The Rocky Mountain Truck of the Year was chosen as the 2016 Toyota Tacoma among finalists that included the Nissan Ttian XD, the Ford F-150, and the Ram Rebel.