Latino Traffic Report

2016 Honda Civic HMPA Compact Sedan Winner

Los Angeles—Since the inception of the Hispanic Motor Press Awards (HMPA) in 2010 at the LA Auto Show, the HMP has honored the most outstanding cars and trucks in their segments for the Hispanic family. This year, the L.A. Auto Show once again provided the backdrop for announcing the latest winners.

Every year about one hundred cars are considered for the HMPA program as the auto industry expands its offerings with new vehicles. The judges work from January, as the new models become available from the manufacturer’s before finally selecting three final contenders in the different categories.

2016 Optima HMPA Family Sedan winner

According to data from Polk, Hispanics are projected to spend $18 billion on new vehicles in 2016. Even though that figure represents only 9 percent of total new-vehicle sales in the United States, Hispanic auto buyers will account for 24 percent of growth in new-vehicle sales. The impact of Latinos continue to increase exponentially in the market, influencing auto companies to consider and incorporate this community, its needs and wants, as part of their plan for future sales

For the sixth annual awards, the jury director, Ricardo Rodriguez-Long (Garage Latino Show), put together a panel of judges that includes Hispanic auto journalists as well as other Hispanic media leaders who reviewed and drove the cars and trucks.  Each vehicle’s virtues were assessed as they related to the typical Hispanic family in the U.S. The awards’ vetting process includes test drives,  mass market availability, and affordability data valuations. The committee took into account overall design, comfort, safety, performance, functionality, accessory content, driver satisfaction, consumer final cost, and overall value package to select the vehicles that offer the best value for the Hispanic consumer.

2016 Toyota Tacoma HMPA Light Duty Truck Winner.

The jury panel this year included Camilo Alfaro (Autoproyecto), German Angel (SoCal Public TV), Cesar Arredondo (National Hispanic Journalist Asociation-LA Chapter), Karen Blanco (Ejecutiva & Negocios Magazines), Yvonne Condes (Moms LA), David Leon (La Prensa Colombiana Newspaper), Jaime Florez (ESPN Radio), Jose Pepe Forte (Univision Radio), Simon Gomez (freelance), Enrique Kogan (Huffington Post Newspaper), Alejandro Maciel (Hoy Los Angeles Newspaper), Yolanda Machado (Sassy Mama in LA), Valerie Menard (Latino Traffic Report), German Sierra (La Prensa & Excelsior Newspapers), and Al Vazquez (FAMA Magazine).

“This has been the hardest year in terms of selecting the winners,” said  Rodriguez-Long. “OEM’s are creating extremely sophisticated, fuel efficient, and diverse power train technologies as well as the best ergonomics for the family for what seems like less money. The Hispanic consumer benefits from all this with overall savings and lower maintenance costs.”

2016 Chevy Volt HMPA Hybrid winner.

The 2016 HMPA Award Winners Autos De Hoy are:

Innovation Award                    TOYOTA Mirai
Sub Compact                              FORD Fiesta
Compact Sedan                          HONDA Civic
Family Sedan                              KIA Optima
Large Sedan                                CADILLAC CT6
Pickup L-Duty                            TOYOTA Tacoma
Pickup F-Duty                            CHEVROLET Silverado
Pickup H-Duty                           RAM 3500
SUV Compact                             JEEP Renegade
SUV                                                HONDA  Pilot
CrossOver Sub Compact        MAZDA  CX3 AWD
CrossOver  Compact                HYUNDAI Tucson
CrossOver                                    MERCEDES-BENZ GL Coupe
Hybrid Car                                  CHEVROLET  VOLT
MiniVan                                       KIA  Sedona
American Muscle                     FORD  Shelby GT350
Sports Car                                   MAZDA  Miata MX-5

For more information about the awards and previous winners visit:

www. HispanicMotorPressAwards.com

Alejandra Ceja, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and NCFL president and founder Sharon Darling in Washington D.C.

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2015 — Toyota and the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) answered a call to action made by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, and in the spirit of what President Obama calls a “shared responsibility,” that challenges public and private sectors to create Commitments to Action that will build on, and accelerate federal, state, and local investments in high-quality education, from cradle-to-career, for the nation’s Latino communities.

Toyota Family Learning, a partnership between Toyota and NCFL, is among the 150 Commitments to Action that total an investment of $340 million announced by the President today on the culmination of the 2015 Hispanic Heritage Month.

“It is an honor to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and the Initiative’s 25th anniversary with the release of nearly 150 commitments to action that will help strengthen the educational outcomes and opportunities for the Hispanic community from cradle-to-career,” stated Alejandra Ceja, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. “These commitments will bring critical resources to Latino students and families across this country, are examples of meaningful investments being made in support of the largest, youngest and arguably the fastest growing minority community in the country and will help fulfill America’s future.”

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Toyota Family Learning is a two-generation solution to educational challenges that responds to societal changes and opportunities. This six-year nationwide program was created to address educational needs and provide opportunities for low-income and ethnically diverse families to roll up their sleeves and build stronger communities.

“Toyota Family Learning promotes an inclusive approach to a child’s education that empowers families to learn together through service learning and mentoring, leveraging technology in the process,” said NCFL president and founder Sharon Darling.

“Toyota is proud to join the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics with Toyota Family Learning, helping to bring education into family life,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of Toyota’s Hispanic Business Strategy Group.

To learn more about the Initiative and to view the major commitments to action in response to the initiative’s call to action, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/15/fact-sheet-25-years-hispanics-fulfilling-americas-future. To view the full list of Commitments to Action visit www.ed.gov/HispanicInitiative. To learn more about Toyota Family Learning visit toyotafamilylearning.org.

The Citroën team’s points haul from this weekend means it can wrap up the Manufacturers title in the next round in Shanghai on 25–27 September.

Despite the menacing skies and forecasts of rain, Race 1 got under way on a dry track. Norbert Michelisz was unable to take advantage of his pole position, with López getting a better start and passing him at the first turn!  Loeb, who was third on the grid, nestled in behind Michelisz, but found himself boxed in on the outside and was overtaken by Gabriele Tarquini and  Muller, who shot out of the blocks like a cannonball from the fourth row.

José María López

“Japan has been pretty good to me!,” enthused López. “I got off to a great start in Race 1 and managed to overtake Michelisz before the first bend. I thought it would be harder to keep him at bay, as our 60 kg of ballast were a real handicap on this circuit. But as it turned out, I was able to pull away and get the win.”

But the reigning WTCC champion had to wait until midway through the race to open up a significant gap on the chasing pack. With four laps to go, Ma Qing Hua pulled off a terrific manoeuvre to snatch fourth place from Yvan Muller. Loeb, too, then gained ground on the four-time WTCC champion, but there were to be no further changes in the standings before the chequered flag, giving José María López his seventh victory of the season!

With the first ten from the Race 1 starting grid lining up in reverse order for Race 2, the second race promised to be a trickier proposition for the Citroën team. The few drops of rain that fell during the repair time were not enough to soak the track, and all the drivers opted to stick with their slicks. The first turn was an eventful affair in the pack:  López was rear-ended, sending him crashing into Loeb. The Race 1 winner was forced to pull out of the running with a punctured front left tyre. Pushed into Hugo Valente by  Tarquini,  Muller managed to hang onto third place, while Hua and  Loeb finished lap 1 in fifth and seventh respectively.

The race remained lively until the last, thanks to an epic tussle between Rob Huff, Sébastien Loeb and Gabriele Tarquini. Despite launching countless attacks, Loeb just couldn’t find his way past Huff. Tarquini took advantage to slip past the nine-time World Rally Champion, before Seb reclaimed his spot just before the chequered flag!

“In Race 2, another driver ran into me and I couldn’t avoid hitting Seb,” López recounted. “I’m really sorry about that, but fortunately it didn’t totally ruin his race. Since Yvan didn’t fare any better than I did, the gap between us has widened. That means I can go into the next few races feeling quietly confident, but I certainly won’t be relaxing.”

The Citroën team scored enough points to keep them in an ideal position in the Manufacturers’ World Championship. Provided it doesn’t drop more than 37 points in Shanghai in two weeks’ time, Citroën will secure its second successive world title.

“First of all, I must pay tribute to Pechito López for his win,” said Xavier Mestelan, Deputy Team Principal, Citroën Racing. “He got a terrific start and followed that up with a perfect race. Things didn’t go quite so well for him in Race 2, but that is sometimes how it goes when you’re in the pack. Citroën is now in an ideal position to secure another World Championship title. That will be our ambition at the next meeting in China.”