Motor Trend announced the selection of the Cadillac CTS as the 2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year Tuesday.

Slideshow: Motor Trend 2008 Car Of The Year

The complete report on Motor Trend's 2008 Car of the Year will be published in the magazine's January issue, available on newsstands Dec. 4, 2007.

"The Cadillac CTS marks the first time in decades an American automobile has been designed and engineered with an eye on the global marketplace," said Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend. "Among its many excellent qualities, perhaps the most valuable one is that it shows Detroit can build a world class car to compete with the best Munich, Stuttgart and Toyota City have to offer. With the CTS, Detroit is officially back in the car business, not just the truck or SUV business."

"The CTS's winning attributes go far beyond a well-designed façade," said MacKenzie. "It's the star of a new GM revival, and with a base price of just $32,990, the car is truly accessible to a wide spectrum of car buyers."

McKenzie said Motor Trend editors faced the daunting challenge of choosing one winner from one of the toughest Car of the Year fields in the history of the award.

"This year's 18-car field was laden with truly significant vehicles," said MacKenzie. "We had all-new interpretations of high-volume benchmark cars that virtually define their respective categories, such as the Honda Accord and Chrysler-Dodge minivan. We had reworked icons such as the Mini Cooper, Subaru Impreza WRX and Scion xB. We had new cars with old nameplates that carried the collective hopes of an entire company, along with all-new vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and Audi."

To be eligible for Car of the Year, a vehicle must be totally new or redesigned, and released in the 12 months prior to Jan. 1, 2008. Besides the Cadillac CTS, this year's field of contenders for Car of the Year included:

• Audi A5/S5
• Audi TT
• Chevrolet Malibu
• Chrysler Town & Country
• Dodge Grand Caravan
• Dodge Avenger
• Ford Focus
• Ford Taurus
• Honda Accord
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Mini Cooper
• Mitsubishi Lancer
• Scion xB
• Scion xD
• Subaru Impreza
• Volvo C30
• Volvo XC70

With the CTS, Cadillac and GM-captures the golden calipers nearly six decades after winning the first Motor Trend Car of the Year(tm) award in 1949.

"The CTS obliterates the 'old man' image of Cadillac," said MacKenzie. "This car will turn heads in the same way that the elite European models do, but it is unmistakably American and uniquely Cadillac. This is a bold and uncompromising showpiece of a sedan."

Additional Resources:

• Slideshow: Motor Trend's Top 2008 SUVs
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• Slideshow: Flirtiest Cars For Women
• Slideshow: Midsize SUVs Crash Tested
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