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.
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.
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.”
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:
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