A sampling of media coverage for the 12th annual Urban Wheel Awards:
Detroit News, Jan. 16, 2008
Big Three split Urban Wheel Awards for auto diversity
Susan Whitall / The Detroit News
General Motors' Chevy Malibu continued its victory lap this week, as it picked up the Urban Car of the Year Award at the 12th annual Urban Wheel Awards held at the Fox Theatre Tuesday night. On Sunday, the Malibu won as the North American International Auto Show's Car of the Year.
The Buick Enclave scored Urban Truck of the Year, making it a GM sweep at the Fox.
Celebrities from the worlds of TV, movies and music handed out Urban Wheel awards to auto and advertising executives for "embracing diversity to create automotive magic" in the words of Randi Payton, president and CEO of Detroit-based publisher On Wheels.
Actress Rosie Perez and "Entertainment Tonight" weekend anchor Kevin Frazier co-hosted the awards.
Other winners included Bennie Fowler, vice president of quality for Ford, who was recognized as African-American Executive of the Year, and Chrysler, which was named Company of the Year.
"I think tonight really epitomizes the diversity of the business," said Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli, accepting for Chrysler. "Here's the new guy in town, and I'm surrounded by two General Motors cars (a red Malibu and brown Enclave, perched on the Fox stage), and this is an event sponsored by Ford."
Dr. Takeshi Abe of Ford Motor Co. won Asian-American Executive of the Year, and Victor Nacif of Nissan was honored as Latino-American Executive of the Year.
The awards, which take place during press week of the North American International Auto Show, are meant to spotlight the companies and executives responsible for innovation or services of interest to urban and ethnic car buyers.
Among the early arrivals at the Fox, where Funkmaster Flex's vast red and black Ford Expedition took up most of the lobby, were U.S. Judge Damon Keith; Detroit Councilwoman (and Motown star) Martha Reeves, along with Motown modeling and deportment teacher Maxine Powell; Ed Welburn, General Motors' vice president of global design; singer Gino Washington, MC Lyte and boxer Evander Holyfield.
R&B singer Musiq Soulchild did a brief concert after the awards ceremony. On the red carpet, the Philadelphia native recalled a Motown memory; the time he sang Junior Walker's "Shotgun" a few years back with the Funk Brothers at the Apollo Theater in New York.
DJ Funkmaster Flex spun music at the afterparty.
Perez hobbled in with a cast on her broken toe peeking out from under her red evening gown. "I did it kicking the tires of all those great cars at the auto show," she quipped onstage. And she was indeed at the auto show Tuesday morning, but her toe suffered the mishap in a home repair accident. "I found out that rum and ladders don't mix," the actress said.
Before the show, Perez spoke seriously about both her wish for a green car, and her concern for the American automotive industry. "Toyota is a great company, but I would love to see Americans have jobs and prosperity," she said. "I believe we'll have prosperity, and we won't have layoffs if we go green."
Perez is looking to buy a hybrid vehicle in 2008, and says she is "teetering" toward the Ford Escape hybrid. "As a New Yorker, plug-in cars are just not going to be as convenient as a hybrid," she pointed out.
Radio host Russ Parr, onstage to present an award, had everybody in the audience scrambling when he announced that the keys to a 2008 Malibu were under somebody's seat.
"Oh, wait, we're going to do that next year," he joked, to a collective sigh.
Other presenters included producer/Roc-a-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash, who intriguingly announced that he was getting into the car business, and actor Giancarlo Esposito, who appeared in the movies "Waiting to Exhale," "The Usual Suspects" and "School Daze."
