Motor Trend's 2004 Truck of the Year Announcement

Motor Trend magazine, the world's #1 automotive authority and part of the PRIMEDIA Consumer Automotive Group, today announced the selection of the Ford F-150 as the 2004 Truck of the Year. Each year Motor Trend evaluates all the new vehicles, and selects the pickup truck that most clearly raises the bar in the category, specifically in terms of significance, superiority and value.

"The new F-150 represents a huge step forward in pickup-truck design, styling, refinement and overall performance," said Kevin Smith, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend. "Ford has practically reinvented the pickup, and its impact on the marketplace cannot be overstated or ignored. For all these reasons, we are delighted to recognize the Ford F-150 as the single most important truck of this year."

The 2004 Ford F-150 offers 46 different cab/chassis/bed configurations plus five distinctive interior designs. With this whole family of trucks, Ford establishes a new standard for what consumers can expect from a full-size pickup.

"We are very pleased that the Ford F-150 has been named Motor Trend's Truck Of The Year because this honor is the one most recognized by consumers," said Steve Lyons, President - Ford Division. "In fact, Motor Trend's award is a lot like the new F-150 - it carries a lot of weight. We look forward to adding it to our trophy case."

This year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend conducted testing on seven new vehicles, searching for the pickup truck that best represented exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most significant development on the new-truck scene for 2004. All truly new or substantially revised trucks were considered with the condition that they be available for public sale by January 1, 2004.

For the 2004 Truck of the Year competition, the winner was selected from the following eligible models: Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet SSR, Dodge Ram SRT-10, Ford F-150, GMC Canyon, Nissan Titan and the Toyota Tundra Double Cab.