2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan Take Home 2008 International Car of the Year (ICOTY) Awards

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (Map) - AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again, Chrysler LLC's "family rooms on wheels" have been awarded highest honors. For the first time in the award's history, the all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan captured all of the votes for best minivans as awarded by the 2008 International Car of the Year Awards (ICOTY) jurors, leaving no room for third-place contenders. The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country earned first-place in two categories, International Truck of the Year and The Most Compatible Minivan of the Year. The 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan earned second place in The Most Compatible Minivan of the Year category as well.

In addition, the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan "Rooms" television spot won The Heart String Award from the ICOTY jury for the most emotionally compelling car advertisement.

"We're honored to have earned the accolades of jurors on the ICOTY panel for our all-new minivans," said Deborah Meyer, Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer. "These awards serve as testimony to what customers have been telling us about the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, namely that they offer more innovation, functionality, value, safety and useful features than any other minivan in the market."

As the fifth generation of industry leading minivans, the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan are designed to be "family rooms on wheels," with each offering distinct advantages in the areas of safety, fuel economy, functionality and design.

    Among the all-new minivans' 35 new or improved features are:
     -- Three distinct seating systems that include the Swivel n' Go(TM) seat
        system, the Stow n' Go(R) seating system and a second- row bench seat
        with fold-in-the-floor third-row seat. Swivel n' Go offers second-row
        seats that swivel 180 degrees to face the third row with a removable
        table that installs between the two rows, covered storage bins in the
        second-row floor, third-row uncovered storage and fold-in-the-floor
        third-row seating
     -- Standard safety equipment such as advanced multi-stage driver and low-
        risk deployment air bags, the all-row supplemental side-curtain air
        bags with added rollover protection and an electronic stability
        program with traction control and brake assist
     -- Entertainment features including SIRIUS Backseat TV featuring three
        family friendly channels (Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and
        Nickelodeon Mobile) and a dual DVD entertainment system that allows
        for different media to be played at the same time
     -- Convenience features like the one-touch power third row folding seat
        and YES Essentials stain-resistant, odor-resistant and anti-static
        fabric seats, a premium front console that slides rearward 21 inches
        and 13 cup or bottle holders
     -- A minivan-first six-speed transaxle available with 3.3-liter, 3.8-
        liter and 4.0-liter V-6 engines for more spirited driving performance

Chrysler LLC invented the modern minivan segment in 1983 and has been the innovation and sales leader in the segment ever since, selling more than 12 million minivans worldwide to date and pioneering more than 60 minivan or industry-first features.

The ICOTY awards are voted on by a panel representing a variety of automotive media. The ICOTY awards honor vehicles made in all countries around the world that are sold in North America. The awards are a salute to automakers and their teams for their success in connecting with consumers. J.D. Power tabulated the jury votes.