IRVINE, CA – Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) has named the Honda Civic “Best Redesigned Vehicle of 2006,” as a result of significant strides in exterior design, interior accommodations, and mechanical excellence. The kbb.com editors chose a list of 10 vehicles that were significantly redesigned for the 2006-model year and carry the model name of a previously available vehicle. Among the selection criteria were market-significant vehicles that maintained existing brand image, function, and purpose, but made substantial advancements in the 2006-model year redesign to improve appearance, comfort, technology, and convenience. After the kbb.com editors chose the 10 semifinalists, consumers were given “before” (2004- or 2005-model year) and “after” (2006-model year) photos of the 10 vehicles. They also were provided brief descriptions of significant changes made to the exterior, interior, and mechanics of each model in a special study conducted by Kelley Blue Book. Consumers were asked to choose which vehicle made the most improvements to the 2006 model when compared to the previous model. The results follow: Kbb.com “Best Redesigned Vehicle of 2006” Honda Civic: 20%
Lexus GS 300: 18%
BMW 3 Series: 13%
Mitsubishi Eclipse: 11%
Hyundai Sonata: 9%
Volkswagen Passat: 7%
Infiniti M45: 7%
Mazda MX-5 Miata: 7%
Mercedes ML-Class: 5%
Kia Rio: 2%

After the “Best Redesigned Vehicle of 2006” award was won by domestic vehicles the past two years — Ford F-150 and Ford Mustang — no domestic model made the list of 10 semi-finalists this year. This was largely because the domestic manufacturers chose to add new model names and discontinue old ones, rather than redesigning current models. Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research administered the “Best Redesigned Vehicle of 2006” survey from Nov. 8-11, 2005, to 919 vehicle shoppers on kbb.com.